“Hard work pays off.”

It’s something Northside guard Jabari Ashe has heard often, but is now seeing happen first hand. Ashe visited Catawba College on Saturday to meet with the coaching staff and watch the team in action.

It marked the next step in Ashe’s recruitment. He helped the Panthers reach the regional final last season where eventual 1-A state champion East Carteret knocked them off. As a senior this year, he played a pivotal role in guiding his team to a postseason return.

Ashe has garnered interest from college basketball teams because of it. He ranks fourth among the Panthers in points-per-game (8.3), second in assists (3.1) and second in steals (1.7).

While he does a good job helping conduct Northside’s offense, it’s his contributions on the defensive end that attracted the most attention.

“We got to (Catawba) and I met coach (Rob) Perron,” Ashe said. “Me and him talked a little bit. He talked about how he watched film on me and he liked my defensive intensity. He liked my off-ball defense and what I can do on the offensive end, as well.”

Ashe also met with assistant coach Ben Veshi, who is the one he’s been keeping in contact with throughout the recruitment process. Veshi and Perron showed him the team’s defensive schemes. The coaches then headed to the locker room to prepare for the game while Ashe and his mother found their seats. They reconvened on the court afterwards to continue talking.

Catawba plans to continue evaluating Ashe’s talents. He’ll head back for an individual workout and one with the team in either March or April.

“(The recruiting process) has been long, but pretty good,” Ashe said. “I’ve attended a whole lot of different college camps. I’ve heard back from a couple. … Catawba has been the leading runner for most of the time. Coach Veshi has been keeping in touch with me and really showing a lot of interest.”

The interest shown is what stands out most to Ashe. He knew some of the players already and got to meet everyone else over the weekend. He said he feels like they’re a group he can get along with well.

The coaches told Ashe that they have two scholarships remaining. They also told him that his 3.7 GPA could qualify him for academic scholarships, especially if he can earn a 1,200 on the SAT.

His mom has always made school the top priority and it’s paying off.

“The classroom is the No. 1 thing. That’s what my mom has been telling me from day one,” Ashe said. “You can’t play basketball is you don’t do well in the classroom. My GPA is a 3.7 and I’ve worked really hard to keep it there.

“I’ve taken many honors classes and I’ve taken a couple of online classes to keep my GPA up at a high level. She also wants me to do all four years of college so I can get a degree. That’s the biggest thing.”

That’s exactly what he’ll get a chance to do. If everything pans out, Ashe will get to continue playing the game he loves while pursuing a four-year degree.