ATHENS, Ga. - When Asa Newell committed to play at Georgia in October 2023, college basketball fans across the country may have wondered why the five-star prospect chose the Bulldogs when Not more established programs like Alabama, Gonzaga and Texas.

For Newell and his brother Jaden, a sophomore forward, it's a chance to return to the school that was the cornerstone of their childhoods.

The Newells' late maternal grandmother, Jacqueline Mitchell, worked for 15 years as an administrative assistant in the Office of the President of the University of Georgia.

When Asa and Jaden moved to Athens with their parents, Justin Newell and Carmen Mitchell-Newell, their grandmother made sure they took advantage of every opportunity college had to offer.

The Newell brothers attend preschool at the McPhaul Center, an on-campus preschool located across the street from the Stegeman Coliseum.

Asa and Jaden took piano lessons from graduate students at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, swimming lessons at the Gabrielson Swimming Pool, and attended theater camps in the summer.

"She worked very hard and was very dedicated to our family," Asa said of her late grandmother, who died in 2016. "She would make whatever sacrifices were necessary to make sure we had everything we needed, whether it was sports, clothes, gifts under the tree, she made sure that happened."

After Mitchell's death in 2016, the Newell family moved to Destin, Florida. "When my mom passed away, it became very difficult, especially for me, to stay in Athens," Mitchell-Newell said. “We need to make changes to reset.”

But when Asa chose a college in the fall of his senior season at Montverde College in Florida, he chose familiarity over tradition. Jaden was already committed to the University of Georgia as a top pick in the 2022 class; it surprised many coaches when his younger brother also decided to return to Athens.

“Asa wants to be a change agent, he wants to leave a legacy at the school,” Mitchell-Newell said. "He could have gone to a school that had a national championship or had a lot of players drafted, but he wanted to go to a place where he could really make a difference. I think it's easier to go to a school that's already had a lot of success, that's already established rather than going to a school that still has work to do. ”

When Newell chose the Bulldogs, he became the second five-star recruit to commit to Georgia since the ESPN recruiting database began in 2007. The 6-foot-10 power forward is rated the No. 13 prospect in the 2024 class.

Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards was the No. 4 overall pick when he signed with the University of Georgia in February 2019. Edwards averaged 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a freshman before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

“One of the reasons I wanted to come here was to help come up with a program and create a legacy,” Asa said. "I don't want to go where they need me. I want to go where they need me, and I feel like Georgia needs me."

bulldogs assistant coach Erik Pastrana first offered Asa a scholarship in 2021 while at Oklahoma State. He joined Mike White's staff at Florida State for the 2021-22 season before following him to Georgia the next season.

With Jaden joining the Bulldogs as a walk-on, Asa is able to get a clear understanding of how the program operates. Jaden relayed what he saw to his brother and parents.

"I can tell the coaching staff here really cares about you," Jaden said. "Asa would ask me what we were doing and how it was here, and I always told him the truth."

White is certainly pleased that the Newell brothers are eager to return to the campus where they grew up.

Asa leads the team in scoring (15.4 points) and rebounding (6.8), and the Bulldogs are off to a 14-2 start heading into Wednesday's game against No. 6 Tennessee (8 p.m. ET/SEC Network).

After switching off - no. 6 Kentucky 82-69, then-No. 17. Oklahoma State was 72-62 at home last week, and Georgia ranked No. 23 in the AP and coaches poll. This is the first time since March 2003 that they have topped both rankings.

"With this team, we have room to reach our ceiling, especially offensively," White said. "The thing about these guys, we're not going to coach this team's effort. We don't have to challenge our guys to compete. You don't have to worry about going into the other team's arena and worrying that your guys aren't going to show up for the fight.

"We're going to win some, we're going to lose some, but we have a competitive team. We have a team that really likes each other. We have a very healthy culture that we have to continue to promote."

This culture started with the Newell brothers. Jaden is majoring in biology and wants to go to medical school. According to White, he “sets an example every day in terms of culture, work ethic and motivation.” Whenever Jaden performs well in practice, the Georgia coach yells "Momentum." He has appeared in five games this season.

“That’s what he brings every day,” White said. "When he was playing on the scout team, we had to slow him down sometimes because he was working so hard, which was a luxury. He was unselfish. He came to work every day and was tough. He transformed himself into Became a scholarship player.” SEC. "

What’s most surprising to White about Asa is that he hasn’t had a bad day yet in terms of effort. From preseason practices to exhibition games to the regular season, Asa is as consistent as anyone on the team. "He's a true freshman," White said. "I've never seen his humility, toughness, persistence, work ethic and maturity. He's got an old soul. He's the same kid every day, and he hasn't even gotten through his freshman year yet."

Asa is expected to be a one-and-done player at Georgia. ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony ranks him as the No. 24 pick in June's draft. NBA scouts like his mobility and offensive rebounding ability (3.6 per game); they want to see better ball-handling and three-point shooting (28.1 percent).

“His hands feel really good around the rim, so his two-point shooting percentage is really high,” White said. "His understanding of who he is and his ability to play within himself is an underrated factor, especially for a true freshman. He will continue to get stronger. He is a better player than his current numbers suggest. Good shooter; his shooting percentage will continue to go up.”

Asa's willingness to play within Georgia's system rather than force shots is partly a product of his high school career. Highly regarded freshmen Cooper Flagg (Duke), Derek Quinn (Maryland) and Liam McNeely (UConn) were his teammates at Montverde Academy. There are only so many shots available.

"He plays the game the right way," Justin Newell said. "He impacts wins. Even when he's not scoring, whether it's a change of shot or a timely rebound, he knows when he needs to step up and make things happen."

Not surprisingly, the Newell brothers live near Georgia's campus. Their mother said that because they were only one year and nine months apart in age, Asa sometimes forgot who his brother really was.

"Asa knows what Jaden has done for him, Asa will tell you without hesitation, Jaden is the one who works the hard work for him," Mitchell-Newell said. “Jaden gets in front of him and creates better opportunities for him and helps him succeed.”

Georgia's path forward won't get any easier after the Tennessee game. The Bulldogs will face No. 1 Auburn on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, SEC Network), followed by a road game at Arkansas on Jan. 22 and Game 5 at Florida State three days later .

The Bulldogs have not appeared in the NCAA tournament since losing to Michigan State 70-63 in the first round in 2015. They haven't won a game in the NCAA tournament since beating Murray State 85-68 in the first round in 2002. (Later absent due to NCAA sanctions).

“People here care about basketball,” White said. "They've shown up. It was 30 degrees the other day and we turned away 600 students who were stuck around this building. It's incredible."