Daye favoring two schools

At 6-foot-9, with a soft shooting touch and the genes and instruction of a father who is a former NBA player, the future looks bright for 2007 prospect Austin Daye. A small forward at Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Calif., Daye is working with a school list of four schools with two of those schools as his favorites.

"I'm interested in Arizona State, Gonzaga, Washington and Arizona," said Daye. "There are a couple other schools recruiting me, but those are my top four. And Arizona State and Gonzaga are my two favorites."

Having already taken an unofficial visit to Arizona State, Daye intends to visit his other favorite in the near future.

"I plan to visit Gonzaga right around the end of the season," he said. "I really like the tradition there and would love to play for Coach Few. They have always been known for making players better."

During his visit to Arizona State, Daye was impressed with the atmosphere.

"Arizona State is recruiting me the hardest and has an offer for me," he said. "Gonzaga likes to wait until a prospect visits before they offer. With Arizona State it is close to home and is driving distance for my parents to watch me play. The atmosphere there is great, and I really felt like the coaching staff was interested in developing me as a player both on and off the court."

As a prospect with a very high ceiling, Daye primary concern as a high school and college player is his skill and athletic development.

"I'm very focused on getting stronger and bigger," said Daye, who weighs in at 184-pounds. "Besides lifting I will do a lot of conditioning and plyometrics in the off season. Right now I am getting a lot of extra work on my skills with my dad and a personal trainer. Working with my dad helps a lot. He shows me a lot of old NBA tricks involving footwork and how to break open against double teams to get the ball."

Daye, who is averaging 16 points and 9 rebounds per game for his 14-8 team, is not sure which travel team he will play for this summer.