It was hard to say which stung University of Hawai'i point guard Matt Gibson more, being compared with teen pop idol Aaron Carter or being held scoreless and shotless his last time out.

Either way, he figured he needed a change of look as much as of luck.

So he got a haircut last week and celebrated his new-look start on the season with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals last night in the Rainbow Warriors' 85-41 trouncing of Oregon State.

"I needed a fresh start," said Gibson who, while playing at Nevada-Las Vegas in the season-opener was compared with Carter by some hecklers in the Thomas & Mack Center crowd.

"I was at the free throw line and I heard, '... Aaron Carter ... Aaron Carter ...' " Gibson said. "When we got back, my teammates gave me some more heat about it. I couldn't take the ridicule anymore."

Then, there was the home opener against Coppin State in which Gibson didn't take a shot in 11 minutes of playing time, and got an early hook over lapses on defense.

"I don't remember the last time I didn't even take a shot," Gibson said. "Maybe (in elementary school). Probably somewhere around that time 'cause it has been a while."

Not the way Gibson, who sat out most of last season, claiming a medical hardship season, wanted to begin this one.

So, Wednesday he went to his favorite barber shop, where he said the barbers are UH fans, and got his long locks trimmed. End of Carter comparisons and a new lease on basketball life.

"It felt weird at first," Gibson said, stroking his hair. "I was catching a breeze and nothing was shaking. It was different. Real different. But it was good. I'll wish I had longer hair when we get to Alaska (today for the Great Alaska Shootout that opens Thursday for UH) to cover my ears, 'cause I'm gonna be cold. But it felt good (last) night."

The difference was soon apparent to the Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,333 that saw Gibson drive to the basket authoritatively and score five of the Warriors' first 13 points in a statement-making 25-0 opening run. By the time his 24-minute stint was done, Gibson had made good on five of seven shots as the 'Bows ran their record to 2-1.

"We don't want to take away his energy," head coach Riley Wallace said. "We just want him to control that energy. And, except for a couple of the turnovers where he got it a little out of control there, he did that. He gave us good minutes on offense and defense."

Gibson said, "Coach barks and yells at me and tells me what he wants me to do and I go watch film and work harder in practice to get it done in the game. I'll do the things I need to improve. Whatever it takes for us to win."

Including, apparently, haircuts.

"I like his hair short like that," Wallace said. "He looks good ... and I hope he keeps playing that way."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.