Hawaii Basketball

You’ve heard about it… you’ve even seen the pictures… now here’s the video. Enjoy!
(Highlights of Derrick Low from the 2003 Iolani Basketball Season)

Their college careers maybe coming to an end, but it seems like just yesterday that Derrick Low and Bobby Nash were tearing it up as teammates on the court for Iolani School. During their time together, the duo combined for two state championships, the first of five in Iolani’s illustrious run, and were each named to the All-State First team in 2002 and 2003.

During the 2001-02 season, Nash (Jr.) and Low (So.) accounted for 28.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.1 steals per game for the Raiders who went on to defeat the Kalaheo Mustangs in the 2002 State finals.

Following that season, the pair was featured in a two-page article in the December 2002 publication of SLAM magazine. See it below…

With a strong performance at the 2007 Pan American Games, Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) has improved his draft status, being placed in the latter part of the second round as the 53rd pick of the Chicago Bulls in NBADraft.net’s most recent mock draft for 2008.

While the site has no actual bearing on when or by whom he will be drafted (if at all), his being mentioned does show that he’s at least “on the radar.” At 53rd, Low is listed behind several other point guards including Darren Collison of UCLA, Drew Neitzel of Michigan State, Ty Lawson of UNC and a few incoming freshman phenoms - Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo and Eric Gordon, though they are more shooting guards than point guards.

Low’s experience, toughness and shooting ability should draw some interest from NBA scouts who will be looking for a reliable player at the point who can handle the ball, defend and hit the open shot…

View the 2008 NBA Mock Draft »

UPDATE: USA Basketball reports Derrick has made the Final 12 and will be traveling to Brazil with Team USA. Read the release »

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Derrick Low and Washington State teammate Kyle Weaver are among the 14 players still in contention to make the final roster (of 12) to represent Team USA in the 2007 Pan American Games.

In Philadelphia since July 12, thirty of the country’s top players participated in five practice sessions over the last three days to compete for a spot on the 12-member team which will compete in Rio De Janiero from July 25-31. After the final session today, the USA Basketball committee, headed by Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, voted on the list of 14 and will announce the final 12 players prior to the team’s departure next Saturday.

According to a report by ESPN citing multiple sources the roster includes: Roy Hibbert (Georgetown), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Shan Foster (Vanderbilt), Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low (Washington State), Eric Maynor (VCU), Bryce Taylor and Maarty Leunen (Oregon), Josh Carter (Texas A&M), D.J. White (Indiana), Drew Neitzel (Michigan State), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), James Gist (Maryland) and Joey Dorsey (Memphis).

More from ESPN »

[Photo: USA Basketball]

The Washington State Cougars closed out their six-game tour of New Zealand and Australia with a 73-65 win over the Cairns Marlins and will return home having won 4 of their 6 games against national and professional competition.

Senior guard Derrick Low led the team in scoring at 22.2 points per game over the 6-game stretch with highs of 35 and 30. His 35-point outburst came in a 102-101 loss to the 3-time National Basketball League Champion Sydney Kings, a game in which he hit 11 of 18 from 3-point range.

Players and coaches will visit the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow before returning home Friday.

Tour Scores and Statistics »

[Photo: GordonG.com]

The complete list of invites has been announced for the USA Team tryouts for the 2007 Pan-American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on July 25-29. As reported last month, Derrick Low and Washington State teammate Kyle Weaver are among the 30 top collegians who will be present at the trials which will be held July 12-14 at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Selections will be made by the USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Commitee, chaired by Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim.

List of 30 Team USA Invites for the 2007 Pan-Am Games:
Jon Brockman (Washington); Brian Butch (Wisconsin); Josh Carter (Texas A&M); Mario Chalmers (Kansas); Sherron Collins (Kansas); Brandan Costner (North Carolina State); Eric Devendorf (Syracuse); Joey Dorsey (Memphis); Wayne Ellington (North Carolina); Randal Falker (Southern Illinois); Shan Foster (Vanderbilt); Alonzo Gee (Alabama); James Gist (Maryland); Richard Hendrix (Alabama); Roy Hibbert (Georgetown); Maarty Leunen (Oregon); Chris Lofton (Tennessee); Derrick Low (Washington State); Wesley Matthews (Marquette); Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth); Jerel McNeal (Marquette); Tasmin Mitchell (LSU); Drew Neitzel (Michigan State); DeMarcus Nelson (Duke); Ahmad Nivins (Saint Joseph’s); Scottie Reynolds (Villanova); Jon Scheyer (Duke); Bryce Taylor (Oregon); Kyle Weaver (Washington State); D.J. White (Indiana)

Villanova’s Jay Wright has been named the head coach along with assistants Mark Gottfried of Alabama and James Jones of Yale.

[Photo: Washington State University]

Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) and Washington State teammate Kyle Weaver are among the 35 players invited to tryout for the 2007 Pan-American Games USA Basketball Team. Tryouts will be held in Philadelphia on July 12 and the 12-member team will remain in the area until they leave for Brazil later in the month.

The 2007 Pan American Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro from July 13-29. The basketball portion runs July 25-29 and will feature teams from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Panama, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In their most recent appearance in 2003, the USA finished 4th behind Brazil (1st), the Dominican Republic (2nd) and Puerto Rico (3rd). The last time they captured the title was in 1983 on a team that included Michael Jordan, Mark Price, Sam Perkins, Wayman Tisdale and Chris Mullin.

Unlike the Olympic Team, the Pan-American Team consists solely of college players (no pros). In 2003, the roster included current NBA players Josh Childress, Ike Diogu, Ben Gordan, Luke Jackson and Emeka Okafor.

[Photo: Washington State University]

Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) is featured in the May 2007 publication of SLAM Magazine under the heading “Picture Me Ballin” which lists three “Under-the-radar players who demand your attention”.

“Derrick Low, Washington State: The WSU Cougars are the shock of the Pac-10 with their 19-4 record as we go to press, and no one (besides perhaps their rising star of a coach, Tony Bennett) is responsible for that mark as this 6-1 junior guard out of Honolulu. Low puts up a team-high 15 ppg while serving as the go-to guy for the grind-it-out Cougs.”

He may not be the only one, but, technically Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) is on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Can you find him?…

Game Highlights: Washington State vs. Oral Roberts (CBS)

Despite getting off to a slow start, the Washington State Cougars finished the first half strong and came alive in the second half to secure a 70-54 victory of Oral Roberts.

Through the first 19:50, the Cougs “hung around”… then with under 10 seconds to go in the first half, WSU guard Taylor Rochestie hit a soft runner in the lane and Kyle Weaver stole the inbounds pass for a dunk as the buzzer sounded to start a 24-5 run that saw Washington State turn a 6-point deficit into a 13 point lead midway through the second half. They never looked back…

Senior forward Ivory Clark led the Cougs with 19 points and 5 “monster” blocks while the three starting guards combined for 37 points (Rochestie 15, Low 12, Weaver 10). Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) finished 5-7 from the field (2-4 from three-point range) with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and no turnovers.

Washington State will face Vanderbilt on Saturday, March 17th for the right to go to the Sweet Sixteen. The Commodores easily took care of George Washington in the first round with a 77-44 victory.

Note: Honolulu Advertiser Sports Writer Wes Nakama is in Sacramento to follow Low’s progress in the opening round of the tournament. Read his article here, “National spotlight shining on ‘D-Low’” »

The Washington State Cougars, who finished 2nd in the Pac-10, were given a #3 seed and placed in the East Region of the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Wazzu will face the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles on Thursday in Sacramento, California.

Oral Roberts won the Mid-Continent Conference regular season and the post season tournament title with an in-conference record of 12-2 and a 22-10 record overall. The Golden Eagles biggest victory was a 78-71 win over the Kansas Jayhawks early in the season on November 15th in Lawrence.

The Pac-10 Conference received six berths to this year’s tournament with the highest seed going to UCLA as the #2 seed in the West. The other teams receiving bids were the Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, Arizona Wildcats and Stanford Cardinal.

See the Complete Bracket for the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament »

Notes: During the “Selection Show” on CBS, analyst Seth Davis predicted a first round upset by Oral Roberts over Washington State… but what does he know? Go Cougs!

Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) is listed as #52 of ESPN analyst Pat Forde’s “Sixty-five reasons to celebrate the Tournament” Read the article »

Evidently, the third time was the charm for USC. After being swept by Washington State in two games during the Pac-10 regular season, the Trojans finally defeated the Cougars when it counted, bouncing them from the 2007 Pac-10 Tournament with a 70-61 win.

USC was led by junior guard, Gabe Pruitt, a 2006 Pac-10 All-Conference selection, who scored 26 points including 6-7 from three-point range. Overall the Trojans shot 47% from the field including 10-16 from three with 8 coming in the first half.

Derrick Low led the Cougars with 15 points on 5 three-pointers, but wasn’t able to hit shots when they counted allowing the Trojans to build the lead in the final minute and close out the game with a win.

Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04), a junior guard for the Washington State Cougars, was named to the 2006-07 Pac-10 All-Conference team.

Low was one of nine players voted to the team by the conference coaches along with backcourt teammate Kyle Weaver. Cougars head coach, Tony Bennett, was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year for his role in leading WSU to a 2nd place finish in conference and a 24-6 record overall. Last season, under Tony’s father, Dick Bennett, the Cougs finished last in the regular season and lost in the “play-in” game of the Pac-10 tournament.

See the full list of 2006-07 Pac-10 All-Conference Honorees »

[Photo: WSUCougars.com]

Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) was featured on ESPN - College Gameday a few weeks ago. In the segment, Low discusses his new Hawaiian tattoo, its relevance and more…