Basketball: The whirlwind week of New Zealand Breakers import Brandon Ashley

Brandon Ashley. Photo / Photosport

Brandon Ashley is still coming to grips with the fact he's going to play professional basketball in New Zealand.

The Breakers' latest import is in the midst of a whirlwind week, having only arrived in the country on Monday.

"I had just got back from playing a little tournament in Uruguay, my agent gave me a phone call, told me that we had a really good opportunity on line, told me about New Zealand and the Breakers and I pretty much hopped on the first flight over here," Ashley explained..

The 25-year-old describes himself as a centre who can add a little bit of versatility to the team.

"A guy that can do a little bit of everything from the five position - adding a little bit more athleticism and skill down in that five spot."

Having spent several seasons playing in the NBA's G League and in Europe, Ashley came agonisingly close to cracking the NBA itself, playing in the Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks twice, and the Sacramento Kings in the recent edition in July.

But, his arrival on New Zealand shores certainly doesn't dampen his dreams of one day playing in the NBA.

"I still to this day believe I'm talented enough to play in the NBA.

"I just feel there are certain routes which you have to take sometimes and not everybody's routes are the same. There's some guys that can go into the G League and they spend either one or five years in the G League, for other guys you have to step overseas.

"The ANBL's a great league and that's what I'm focused on right now."

To get to the NBA Ashley will have to perform extremely well for a club he doesn't yet know a lot about.

"I don't know too much of their history, but I know that the team we have right now is a really good one and I'm really looking forward to getting on the floor with these guys and competing this year."

His unfamiliarity with the Breakers and its players can be forgiven, as the club's players also didn't know he was.

Guard Jarrad Weeks confesses as much.

"There's 10,000 basketball players out there, so obviously you do your research when his name was announced."

But Ashley has made a great first impression on Weeks.

"He's a great guy, he's only been here two days but he's been on the practice court both of those days and he's really fitting in."

Ashley's first chance to prove himself to the club will be on next week's pre-season tour of the United States where they will face NBA sides the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder.