Todd Follmer has a tattoo on his right arm of the word LOVE.

But look at the same tattoo from a different angle, and it reads HATE.

Such is the complexity of a 7-foot basketball player.

"When you're that tall, everybody has expectations," said Riley Wallace, head coach of the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team. "But we knew what we were getting when we recruited Todd, and we know he has a lot of work to do right now."

Follmer, a 7-foot sophomore center, is in his first week of official practices with the Rainbow Warriors. He transferred to Hawai'i from Irvine Valley College (Calif.).

"It represents the duality of how to deal with people," Follmer said of his tattoo. "Some people will love you for who you are and where you are, other people will hate you. You just have to learn to deal with both."

Perhaps fittingly, Follmer has a yin-yang basketball game. He has surprising shooting range for a 7-footer, draining 3-pointers with consistency during warm-ups.

Two weeks ago, during an intrasquad challenge to determine who would represent the team in the 3-point shootout at Twilight 'Ohana, Follmer made it to the final three players.

"It would have been cool to be in it," he said. "But I don't see it as anything different. It's a shot I'm comfortable with."

Wallace, however, would prefer Follmer to play with more of a low-post presence.

Senior Ahmet Gueye and junior Stephen Verwers are the top low-post players for Hawai'i right now. But Wallace said Follmer will need to develop quickly to provide depth this season, much like 7-footer Chris Botez did last season.

"It's fine that he can shoot outside, and if the shot is there, he can take it," Wallace said. "But he's also got to give us some presence inside on offense and defense. He's not a good rebounder right now, and he's not an intimidator for a 7-footer. He's got to build those areas to help us the most."

Wallace said he would like to utilize Follmer, 6-11 Verwers, 6-8 Gueye, 6-8 P.J. Owsley and 6-8 Alex Veit in various combinations to give opponents problems throughout this season.

"You need size to win," Wallace said. "We feel like we have the size to match up with a lot of teams, but it's also a matter of using it the right way."

Hawai'i junior guard Matt Gibson, who is Follmer's roommate, said: "For a big man, he has a nice shot and he has some smooth moves. It's rare for a big man to have a nice touch like that. He's more of a finesse player than (Botez), but I think he can give us a few more points."

Follmer averaged 10.4 points and 4.5 rebounds as a freshman last season at Irvine Valley. Most of his production came late in the season, including a 29-point, 12-rebound game in the playoffs.

Hawai'i associate coach Jackson Wheeler, who recruited Follmer, said: "We knew he had to develop. But he has a lot of potential. The best part is he has three years to develop with us."

Prior to attending Irvine Valley, Follmer used a redshirt season at UC Santa Barbara. As a high school senior in California, he averaged 15.0 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 5.0 blocked shots per game.

He was recruited by several Pac-10 programs out of high school, but eventually signed with UCSB, which was near his hometown.

"Things didn't work out at UCSB, but it's totally different here," Follmer said. "The practices are so much better, and I really respect Coach Wallace and how he's helping me to learn the system."

Three seasons with the 'Bows also means that Follmer will have three years to deal with the comments and questions only a 7-footer can understand.

"I went out to dinner just the other night, and four different people — people I never met before — came up to me and told me that I was really tall," he said. "My response is always, 'thank you, I know.' One guy said, 'you must be at least 6-7 or 6-8.' When I told him I was 7 feet, he shook my hand like it was a big accomplishment for me to be that tall."

In truth, Follmer is a regular guy. Well, sort of.

He often walks around with his hair uncombed, and said he plans to keep his full beard throughout the season. He has a couple of "huge" earrings that he sometimes wears when he goes out with friends.

The unique look is a reflection of his choice of music. Follmer said he often listens to alternative rock bands like HIM, Panic at the Disco, and Fall Out Boy.

Sometimes, he'll listen to his music and ride a skateboard.

"Every once in a while, you'll see me hauling my butt (on a skateboard)," he said. "It's something I like to do. Just because I'm tall doesn't mean I can't do things like that."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.