COPING WITH HYPE EIGHTH-GRADER CALLED COLLEGE STARTER NOW.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

She is the best girls' basketball player in this area, but it would be silly to stop there when you can say so much more.

To college and high school coaches who have seen her play, there's little doubt Ashlee Trebilcock will be the greatest player to ever grace the local girls' basketball scene. Many think she is already better than anyone who has played here.

So why hasn't her high school dominated if she's so good? They will, but it won't happen yet.

That's the scary part of this story: Trebilcock is only 13, and about to enter eighth grade.

The Canyon Country resident has not even decided where she will attend high school, but colleges such as Tennessee, UConn, Duke and Georgia are already recruiting her. Half the Big Ten Conference has been recruiting her since the sixth grade.

And the high school recruiting is worse. Trebilcock's mother says she's heard offers of everything from houses to jobs if she will simply move her daughter into the right district.

In the small, insular world of Southern California girls' basketball, she is already something of a budding legend, complete with a weekly diary on the Internet.

``A lot of Pac-10 coaches tell me she could play for them right now,'' said her club coach, Russ Davis, who is the head coach of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa. ``She could start for my college team right now. People have told me she's better than Diana Taurasi at this stage.''

Taurasi, who will be a freshman at UConn this year, was generally considered the No. 1 player in the nation last season.

``I haven't seen anybody at Ashlee's age as good as her. It's going to be scary,'' Davis said.

Every coach seems to remember a first impression of Trebilcock. Hart High coach Dave Munroe recalls when Trebilcock showed up at his summer camp as a fourth grader.

``She was in there with all the guys lighting them up,'' Munroe said.

Valencia coach Jerry Mike got the tipoff when he was hired last year from Glendale.

``I had the job for about an hour when I get a phone call from someone saying, `You've got to get Ashlee Trebilcock,' '' Mike said.

What everyone sees is a smooth 5-foot-9 point guard with incredible ballhandling skills, a deft passing touch and the ability to hit the 3-point shot with ease. In other words, the complete package.

She's so physically developed, her arms are already bigger than most of her teammates on her club team, the Southern California Swish. And the majority of those players are 15- or 16-year-olds.

``I was surprised when I first heard how old she was because she's so buff and stuff,'' said her teammate, Kim Smith, 15, who will be a junior at Norco High. ``Other teams probably don't even know she's younger.''

The family keeps her birth certificate in the glove compartment of their Ford Expedition because challenges are often made at club tournaments that a ringer has been brought in to play.

About this point, it would be easy to resent Trebilcock. Too much hype. Too much attention. Overrated.

But as soon as you talk to her, those stereotypes vanish. She's down-to-earth, modest, friendly, easygoing. In other words, no attitude and definitely not a prima donna.

``I hear of a lot of the stuff people say, but I try to blank it out. I want to stay humble,'' Trebilcock said. ``I think it will be tough to live up to all the hype, that's why I'm trying not to listen to it. I don't want to get a big head.''

If you watch her play, you could see why she is never accused of being arrogant. She's a point guard who passes first and makes her teammates better. In five club games last week, she never forced a shot.

``She settles us down,'' Smith said. ``She has an awesome attitude and she's a total team player.''

But what really sets Trebilcock apart is her maturity. She's 13 going on 30. She will blow you away with references to basketball legend Pete Maravich, then tell you her favorite bands are '70's favorites Steve Miller, Queen and Chicago.

``I'm into old school,'' Trebilcock said.

During lunch, she will start discussing the merits of the lob pass versus the bounce pass, when it might be less taxing to start talking about Britney Spears.

On the court, she simply doesn't get flustered, displaying the demeanor of an elite college-level player.

``Sometimes, I would get intimidated when I was younger but not anymore,'' Trebilcock said.

Added Davis: ``A lot of people think there's an error in the game program when they see her age. I just think she's really poised and mature and above her years.''

There's also a strong support system at home. Her mother, Kimberlee (a former Brigham Young player) and 10-year-old sister Whitnee are fixtures at every game. This shouldn't be one of those phenom-who-burns-out episodes.

``She could burn out, but I don't think she will,'' said teammate Meghan O'Donogue, 16, of Mission Viejo. ``She's actually more mature than most of the 16-year-olds I know. I don't see any jealousy towards her.''

What everyone wants to know is where Trebilcock will go to high school?

``That's the million-dollar question,'' Kimberlee Trebilcock said.

The family home in Canyon Country is for sale, and Ashlee will play for either Hart or Valencia. Right now, the two schools are running neck and neck.

But a move to Fullerton to play for Orange County powerhouse Troy is still under consideration. That would also make it easier on the family, which drives 88 miles each way to club practices in Costa Mesa.

``Honestly, I'm right in the middle of the fence right now,'' Kimberlee Trebilcock said.

``Most likely Hart or Valencia. Maybe Troy,'' Ashlee said. ``I think it would be cool to go to a school that's losing and turn them around.''

Both Munroe and Mike believe whoever gets her will automatically win four Foothill League titles and maybe more.

``I think it's going to be something we haven't seen before,'' Mike said. He thinks it will dwarf the attention received by former Crescenta Valley star Michelle Greco, currently at UCLA.

``The Greco thing was big, but I can't even compare Ashlee to that,'' Mike said. ``When you look at her intellectually, with the maturity and the personality, people will just come from all over to watch her play.''

Munroe doesn't hesitate to place Trebilcock above Greco as a player either.

``I think Ashlee shoots the ball better than Greco,'' Munroe said. ``I think she can do more things, and that's not a knock on Michelle. Ashlee's a more complete player.''

Whatever happens, Trebilcock's already got her game plan in place.

``I want to go to college, maybe be an All-American and get some awards,'' Trebilcock said. ``Then play in the WNBA and then be an analyst.''

No one's doubting it at the moment.

ASHLEE TREBILCOCK FILE

Age: 13

Sport: Basketball

Position: Point guard

Height: 5-foot-9

Weight: 140 pounds

Hometown: Canyon Country

Notable: Starts for one of the top 16-and-under club teams in the nation. . . . Considered the best player in the area. . . . Has only played basketball since fourth grade.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo: (1 -- color) Santa Clarita's Ashlee Trebilcock, 13, already a major-college recruit, won't begin high school for another year.

(2) Canyon Country 13-year-old Ashlee Trebilcock has tried to remain unaffected despite being hyped as the best girls' basketball prospect produced in the area.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer

Box: Ashlee Trebilcock file (see text)