Editor's note: The Advertiser received permission to reprint this story that ran in the Washington State University newspaper. The story has been edited in some instances.

Like many Hawai'i residents, former 'Iolani and current Washington State University senior guard Derrick Low spent his childhood on the beach.

The sand, water, palm trees and elements of the Islands are distant from the basketball hardwood in Pullman, Wash.

Hawai'i isn't exactly reputable for delivering basketball talent, but Low has become the exception. Four years ago, former WSU head coach Dick Bennett took a chance on Low, a three-time All-State Player of the Year.

Fast-forward to 2008, and Low has emerged as one of the premier scorers in the Pac-10 Conference.

The Honolulu native embraces his pride for the homeland and admits it's difficult for Hawai'i players to excel in the sport.

"Coming from Hawai'i, there's not many kids getting a chance to play a level of basketball that I'm at right now, the Division I level," Low said. "A lot of kids grow up playing baseball and football. We're not really made to play basketball, we're not really tall and we don't have long arms like the typical basketball player.

"We grow up with the beach. There are not many kids who put in the sacrifice to get good and make it to the next level."

Although it's a difficult process for Hawai'i athletes to leave the Islands and become esteemed or highly recognized basketball stars on the Mainland, Low's success proves it's possible.

"I definitely think it shows the kids back home that it can be done," Low said. "Hopefully, they look at me and say, 'Wow, someone from Hawai'i can do that; maybe if I try hard or maybe if I sacrifice and do what he did, maybe I might get that chance.'

"It might not be the Pac-10 level or the highest level, but it gives them that extra motivation or encouragement to go out there and live their dreams."

That's exactly what the 6-foot-2 guard is doing, but not without enduring the pain.

A fractured right foot sidelined Low for a combined 13 games during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Low averaged 7.6 points per game in his first two seasons.

Last season, Low started all 34 games for the Cougars, who surprised the college basketball nation with a second-place finish in the conference and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

He averaged 13.7 points per game and shot 44 percent from the field, a substantial improvement over his previous average of 38 percent.

"He's really stepped his game up each year," WSU guard Taylor Rochestie said. "When you're guarding him or playing against him, you can really feel that he's getting better on a day-by-day basis and he's pushing the rest of us to get better, because if we don't get better, he's just going to blow us out of the water."

Low underwent a painful ordeal the summer prior to the breakout year at WSU, not having anything to do with a fractured foot: He fulfilled a longtime wish and got a tattoo.

Low wanted to pay tribute to his ancestors and his homeland. The body art includes an array of different symbols related to Hawai'i, and travels from Low's left ankle to the hip.

The four-hour marathon was performed using a hippopotamus tusk, and it didn't help when Low forgot to bring a distraction.

"Some people go in there with iPods and lie down or relax, and it may take your mind off the pain a little, but I went out there with nothing and I watched the whole time and the pain was getting to my mind," Low said. "It was pretty sore, but in the end result, the pain was just temporary and it was worth it."