Ashley has early list of schools

One of the best attributes to Brandon Ashley's game is his ability to keep the ball alive on the offensive glass, to score off putbacks, to grab offensive rebounds or tip the ball so other players can't grab it.

That's one reason why Ashley, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound power forward from Oakland (Calif.) Bishop O'Dowd, is one of the top 2012 prospects on the West Coast.

His ability to own the offensive glass - which he showed earlier this week at the NIKE EYBL Tournament in Hawthorne, Calif. - sets him apart from many rising juniors and it's one reason why so many college programs are already after him.

"You just have to know where the ball is coming off and just work hard to get around your defender, just get around that box out and get in there," Ashley said.

"It helps me get more confidence, just get some more points on the board and bring us back. You have to work on it. You definitely have to get stronger for that because they won't let you get around that box out if you're not strong enough and you have to know where the ball is coming off the rim and get there as fast as you can."

Ashley, who plays with the Drew Gooden Soldiers, said recruiting is already picking up with the most interest coming from UCLA, Arizona, Washington, Stanford, Cal, Kansas and Georgia Tech.

Since Ashley, rated as the No. 10 prospect in the 2012 class by Rivals.com, is just finishing up his sophomore year he's in no rush to make a decision.

This summer will be a crucial time though for him to see which programs are interested from the start and that can play a big factor down the road.

"I just want to know who's interested, who's really there for you, so you want to know who's been there for you the whole time, not just the people who show up at the last minute," Ashley said.

"It can be tempting (to commit early) but at the same time you want to see everything, you want to get it all out there. You don't want to make a commitment too fast and have all the other colleges fall off."