As Roosevelt High School boys basketball coach in the mid-1990s, John Chung vividly recalls watching an 8-year-old Derrick Low playing "Chase Master" with his father, Ken, in the corner of the gym while the varsity team practiced.

"His dad would be chasing him around and Derrick would be running away, zig-zagging and dribbling and using both hands," Chung said. "Even as a third-grader, his ball-handling skills were already so advanced ... he was dribbling better than some of my players. I mean, you just don't see that in kids that age. I remember telling my assistant, Kimo Ogino, 'That kid is special.' You already knew he was going to do great things."

Chung's prediction came true, in ways never seen in any Hawai'i basketball player since statehood.

"He definitely took (local basketball) to another level," said former Pearl City High standout David Hallums, who was the University of Hawai'i's starting point guard from 1987 to 1989. "To me, he's head and shoulders above the rest."

PREP PHENOM

Even before starting his high school career at 'Iolani in November of 2000, Derrick Low had made a name for himself in the basketball community after averaging about 30 points per game as an eighth grader in the intermediate league.

But his transition into varsity ball was smoother than anybody could have imagined.

Low averaged about 15 points per game as a freshman, led a young 'Iolani team (only one senior) to the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship and state title game. He was named ILH Player of the Year and selected to The Advertiser's All-State first team — both unprecedented feats for a freshman.

Low capped the next season with a spectacular 33-point performance in the Raiders' state championship victory over Kalaheo, the first of three consecutive state crowns for Low and the Raiders. 'Iolani wound up winning five state titles in a row.

After the game, Raiders coach Mark Mugiishi told the local media, "Derrick Low is going to make the state of Hawai'i very proud someday ..."

PROGRAM-TURNER

After an illustrious high school career that included being named three-time Advertiser State Player of the Year, Low headed off to play college ball at Washington State.

It was a curious choice, since he also had offers from Gonzaga, Utah and Hawai'i, while Washington State was anchored in the Pac-10 Conference cellar. Things got off to a rocky start, after Low suffered a stress fracture in his foot during the first week of practice.

But he recovered in time to earn a starting job at point guard and earned honorable mention on the Pac-10's All-Freshman Team.

Low suffered a similar injury as a sophomore, but again recovered and Washington State showed signs of a program on the rise.

It came to fruition the following year, when the Cougars and Low gained national attention by winning 26 games and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Low was named to the All-Pac-10 second team, and was featured in Sports Illustrated and on ESPN. In the process, Low built up almost legendary status in Pullman, Wash., for his role in transforming the Cougars from obscurity to a national power that drew sellout crowds of 11,000-plus at the campus' Friel Court.

"It was unprecedented," ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz told The Advertiser earlier this week. "(Low) was part of that recruiting class that made it happen. (Washington State) took a bit of a gamble on him, and he took a bit of a gamble on them, but it was the perfect fit. They went from irrelevant to relevant (on the national scale)."

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

After his junior season, Low set out on more unchartered waters for local basketball players when he was named to the USA national team for the Pan American Games. Among the thousands of college basketball players across America, only 32 were invited to try out for Team USA, and only 12 made the final cut.

After receiving minimal playing time in the first two games — both USA losses — Low started the final three games (all victories) and led the team in scoring each night.

Entering his senior season at Washington State, Low appeared on the Northwest Region cover of Street & Smith's national preview magazine, along with CBS Sports Online's annual preview magazine. He again received All-Pac-10 honors by helping the Cougars reach as high as No. 4 in the AP Top 25 poll following a 14-0 start.

In a showdown at No. 5 UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, Low scored 24 second-half points in nearly rallying Washington State to victory after a 20-point deficit.

He helped the Cougars return to the NCAA Tournament, and scored 18 points in a second-round victory over Notre Dame. That advanced Washington State to a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 1-ranked North Carolina at Charlotte. N.C.

"It's every player's dream to play in the NCAA Tournament," Low said, "and during warm-ups I caught myself looking over at North Carolina because that's the school I wanted to play for when I was growing up."

Despite Low's 14 points, the Cougars lost, ending his college career. He later played for the Dallas Mavericks' summer league teams in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City but ended up signing with the Sydney Spirit of Australia's National Basketball League.

By midseason, Low ranked third among NBL scorers with 19.3 ppg, but the team ran into financial problems and he moved on to play for Rouen in France's "A-League."

His Beverly Hills, Calif. agent, Sam Goldfeder, is now looking at options for Low to return to Europe, perhaps Italy, to continue his professional career.

But wherever he ends up, Low said he will continue to represent Hawai'i, regardless of what team name is embroidered on his jersey.

"That's always been my mindset, I knew who I was representing my whole time (away from the islands)," Low said Monday. "That's what drove me each year — I wanted to show that people from Hawai'i can do it ...

"Hopefully, I opened some doors, and kids who have the same vision as me will carry it on."

Read his blog on high school sports at http://preptalk.honadvblogs.com.