Newell Tabbed As All-Freshman Team Selection
LAS VEGAS – California freshman Grant Newell earned Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention as the conference office announced its 2022-23 men's basketball awards on Tuesday morning.
Newell was one of seven Pac-12 freshmen to receive at least three votes from the conference's coaches and narrowly missed out on the five-person all-freshman team, which featured UCLA's Amari Bailey and Adem Bona, Washington's Keyon Menifield, Oregon State's Jordan Pope and USC's Tre White. Arizona's Kylan Boswell joined Newell as the lone honorable mentions.
The full list of Pac-12 awards can be viewed on Pac-12.com.
A 6-foot-8 forward from Chicago, Newell earned 28 starts and played in all 31 regular-season games in his first season with the Golden Bears. The rookie was thrust into a starting role early on and made the most of it, averaging 8.0 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He recorded two double-doubles – becoming the first Bear to record multiple double-doubles in a season since Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown in 2015-16 – against Colorado and Washington, and was recognized as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for Dec. 19-25 following his performance in Cal's win over UT Arlington. Newell scored in double figures seven times, five of which came in Pac-12 play.
Cal has had an all-freshman team honorable mention in back-to-back seasons, as current sophomore Sam Alajiki earned the same accolade in 2021-22.
Newell and the Bears will begin Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament play against fifth-seeded Washington State at 2:30 p.m. PST on Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The contest will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
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