Brandon Ashley '100 percent cleared,' but Arizona to exercise caution

With the departure of NBA-bound power forward Aaron Gordon, there's a major opportunity for someone in Arizona's forward rotation to take a big step forward.

With a clean bill of health, 6-foot-8 junior Brandon Ashley could be just that person.

Ashley suffered a broken foot in February that caused him to miss the final 16 games of the 2013-14 season, including the Pac-12 tournament and the NCAA Tournament, where Arizona made a run to the Elite 8. The team is expecting him back for the start of the coming season, though he may receive on occasional day off to ease him back.

On Wednesday, head coach Sean Miller said that Ashley "is 100 percent cleared" seven months after surgery, adding, "If you watch him in practice, he runs like nothing happened."

Ashley averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 52.2 percent from the floor before the injury last season, and it seems likely his role on offense will expand. The Wildcats are expected to be one of college basketball's best teams, and Ashley should be a major part of their push to a national title.