Derrick Low went through his fifth and final NBA pre-draft workout Tuesday — this time with the Dallas Mavericks — then headed for the airport to catch a flight home, arriving at about 9 o'clock that night.

His next stop: Zippy's.

"I had the chili frank plate," said Low, a 2004 graduate of 'Iolani School from Honolulu.

Low's next stop is undetermined, pending the results and aftermath of today's NBA Draft. He does not expect to be one of the 60 players selected in the two rounds, but is hopeful at least one team will call soon after with a free agent offer.

"I'm not expecting much, I don't think I'll get drafted," said Low, a 6-foot-1 point guard who starred at Washington State University. "But you never know what might happen in the second round, I could get lucky. If not, then hopefully somebody calls and I can get on (an NBA) summer league team."

Low is aiming to become the first Hawai'i-grown player to make an NBA roster since Hilo's Red Rocha in the 1950s. Rocha was selected by the Toronto Huskies in the 1947 draft and remains the only Hawai'i-grown player to have played in the league.

Richard Haenisch, a 1980 Punahou School graduate, was selected in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 draft, back when the draft had seven rounds. No Hawai'i-grown player has been drafted since (Haenisch was later cut).

Low's chances of being selected appear slim, as his name does not appear on any of the popular mock drafts on the internet and he was not one of 65 players invited to the NBA's official pre-draft camp in Orlando late last month.

However, Low was invited to personal workouts for five NBA teams in the past three weeks: the New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics and Dallas Mavericks.

"I did the best at the last three — Suns, Sonics and Mavericks," said Low, who helped lead Washington State to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 this past season. "It was a lot of shooting, shooting off screens, shooting off pick-and-rolls. A lot of footwork, lots of 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3. They wanted to see me handle the ball and shoot it, and I shot it well.

"They talked to my agent, and they all seem interested."

After graduating from Washington State, Low went through one month of intense preparation in San Francisco under former University of Hawai'i standout Phil Handy and personal trainer Frank Matrisciano.

"Everything we did (at the NBA workouts) is what I trained for with Phil and Frank," Low said. "It got tiring sometimes, but my recovery time was really fast, and that's what we prepared for."

Low got favorable reviews on the Nets' "Draft Central" Web site, which quotes "an expert's take" as saying Low "can create his own shot and hits shots on the move ... a shifty offensive player ... gritty leader who makes up for what he lacks in physical gifts with effort and smarts."

The site also quotes Gregg Polinsky, the Nets director of scouting, as saying, "Derrick Low is a clever player. He has quick feet and a very quick handle with the dribble. If given the opportunity he shoots it pretty well when he gets set."

Low said he recognizes several of the players on the mock draft lists — including former Washington State teammate Kyle Weaver and former Pan Am Games teammates Drew Neitzel (Michigan State) and Shan Foster (Vanderbilt) — as college peers.

"That just tells me that I belong there, too," Low said. "I just have to keep working hard, and try to make the most out of it."

Read his blog on prep sports at http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com