Western Kentucky’s men’s basketball program has announced the signing of North Texas transfer Grant Newell.

A native of Chicago, Newell joins the Hilltoppers after starting all 36 games for UNT in 2024-25 and helping the Mean Green to a 27-9 final overall record with an appearance in the NIT Final Four.

“We’re thrilled to add Grant to our Hilltopper basketball family,” WKU coach Hank Plona said in a news release. “Grant is an experienced, versatile player who played a huge role on an elite North Texas team. He can play and guard multiple positions and we believe his best basketball is in front of him.”

Newell averaged 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds for UNT while posting double-digit scoring totals in six games on the year. The 6-foot-9 forward finished the 2024-25 season with a 118.8 offensive efficiency rating in AAC play, good for the 18th best mark in the league.

Prior to joining UNT, Newell spent two seasons at Cal and started 28 of 31 games for the Golden Bears as a freshman. Newell averaged 8.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 26.8 minutes per contest for the 2022-23 season, earning Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention following the standout freshman campaign. Newell recorded double-doubles twice on the season to become the first freshman to do so for the Golden Bears since Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb in 2015-16.

In Newell’s 2023-24 campaign at Cal, the sophomore was one of four Golden Bears to compete in all 32 games for the season. Newell started the first 11 games of the year before transitioning into a sixth-man role, finishing with an average of 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per contest. Newell shot at a 41.3% (66-of-160) clip from the floor with a 30.4% (21-of-69) mark from 3-point range while scoring in double figures six times on the year.

Newell attended Whitney Young High School in Chicago and finished as an All-City Special Mention as a senior before enrolling at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for a postgraduate year in 2021-22.

“Grant can score inside and out, as well as make plays for himself and others,” Plona said. “We expect Grant to take a huge step forward in his career next year and cannot wait to be part of his basketball journey.”