Like many "basketball junkies" often do at this time of year, Derrick Low used to scan the magazine racks at Longs or the local bookstore searching for the college basketball annual preview editions.

When he arrived in Indianapolis for the Nike All-America Camp in the summer of 2003, the first thing he did after checking into his hotel was head to the mall to pick up the latest issue of SLAM magazine, with LeBron James on the cover.

But now, when Low goes looking for these basketball magazines, the image on the cover often is his own.

Low, a 2004 graduate of 'Iolani School and senior guard for Washington State, is pictured on the cover of three college basketball preview editions: CBS Sports.com, Sporting News and Athlon Sports (Northwest Region).

(The Athlon Sports cover is different for each region, so the one sold in Hawai'i features different players.)

It's not only new for him; no basketball player from Hawai'i has ever drawn such attention.

"That's cool, it's not like there's a lot of people who get to see themselves on a magazine cover," Low said in a phone interview from Pullman, Wash., Sunday night. "But it can be a distraction; I have to always make sure I bring everything back down to earth."

That has never been a problem before. Low and the Cougars spent his first two injury-plagued seasons in relative obscurity, winning a total of 26 games in that span and finishing near or at the bottom of the Pac-10 Conference standings.

But last year, Low and Washington State burst onto the national stage with a record-setting 26-8 season, which ended in a thrilling double-overtime loss to Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He led the team in scoring (13.7 points per game), 3-point goals (75) and minutes played (34.4 per game) and was named to the Pac-10's All-Conference team.

After losing only one key player from last season, the Cougars will be in the spotlight from Day 1 this time around.

Washington State had never been ranked in a preseason poll before, but already are among the top teams on the list of many publications and news services this year. CBS Sports.com has the Cougars ranked No. 7, and The Sporting News has Washington State at No. 8.

The Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN both have the Cougars at No. 10.

"We're happy that with the success we had last year, people are starting to notice us," Low said. "It's good to get the recognition, but it wasn't really going to matter where we were ranked. Things would still be the same, we still would be playing 100 percent whether we were ranked or not."

Washington State coach Tony Bennett, the AP's National Coach of the Year in 2007, said Low sets the perfect example for that attitude. Athlon lists him as the No. 7 "Floor Leader" in the nation.

"He'll be ready to go, no matter what," Bennett told The Advertiser yesterday morning. "There's something about him that allows him to always keep an even keel. When he first got here, I told him, 'Show me the fire,' but now I think his strength is his ability to block out any distractions, not worry and stay poised."

Low showed that ability last summer, when he was one of 12 players selected to the USA's team competing in the Pan American Games at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was relegated to the bench the first two games — both losses — but finally got a chance to start in the third game and led the team in scoring for three straight victories.

Low did not complain about playing time in the first two games, and did not say, "I told you so" after the next three victories. Bennett said he showed the same patience after breaking his foot early in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

"He's resilient," Bennett said. "As hard as those situations were, he proved his value in the end and handled himself very well."

The rest of Pullman, meanwhile, is going crazy for Cougars basketball. Friday's opener against Eastern Washington at 11,566-seat Friel Court already is sold out, and over 1,500 attended an intrasquad scrimmage last week.

"A lot of people here are excited, they can't wait for the season to start," Low said. "I can't wait, either."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.