After 'Iolani won its third consecutive boys state basketball title in 2004, many wondered if the Raiders could make it four in a row without three-time State Player of the Year Derrick Low.

With Kyle Pape taking over the role vacated by Low — who went on to play at Washington State — the answer was a resounding yes.

"It was tough having Derrick leave along with the other five seniors because I grew up with them and played with them my whole life," said Pape, a 2005 'Iolani graduate and senior at the Colorado School of Mines. "I didn't feel like I needed to score more points, or grab rebounds, or give out more assists, but more of being a leader and helping the underclassmen."

Pape — one of two seniors on that team — earned State Player of the Year honors after leading 'Iolani to its fourth straight state title. He averaged 20.2 points per game, including 31.3 in three state tournament victories.

"It's definitely just one of those awards where you couldn't have gotten without the team and if we didn't perform how well we did together, I definitely wouldn't be player of the year," Pape said.

Unlike Low, who ended up as one of the Pac-10's top guards by his junior and senior seasons, Pape chose a different route that took him to Golden, Colo.

"It came down to two paths. One was going to a Division I school and more of my life would have been about basketball and school work would come second," Pape said. "Or I could go to a Division II school and play right away and get a great education. I know I'm not going to play basketball for the rest of my life and I knew that I needed something to fall back on."

Pape, a 6-foot, 190-pound guard, says he has no regrets about opting for Colorado School of Mines. "Definitely not. I'm happy with where I'm at," said Pape, who is scheduled to earn a degree in civil engineering with a minor in economics in spring of next year.

It didn't take long for Pape to find his way onto the court as a freshman. He started 26 of 27 games and was named Freshman of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. He averaged 14.2 points per game and was named to the Division II Bulletin All-Freshman Team.

"It's a tough transition from high school to college, but I put in the time and effort and I worked harder than I ever did in high school," Pape said.

He started all 27 games as a sophomore, when he scored 13.7 points per game and led the team in field goals, 3-point field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, points, assists and steals. Pape was named to the All-RMAC East Division Second Team.

He made the First Team in 2007 when he shot 46 percent from the field, including 36 percent on 3-pointers and 89 percent from the free-throw line. He scored 20 or more points in 21 of 29 games.

Pape was named to the Preseason All-RMAC First Team and quickly proved his worthiness when he posted 28 and 25 in wins over Caldwell (N.J.) and William Jewell (Mo.), respectively, during the season-opening weekend. He was named Conference Player of the Week.

With six regular season games left, the Orediggers sit at 11-10 overall, 6-7 in the RMAC. They are currently in fourth place of the seven-team East Division.

"It's been a roller-coaster ride; we're a very young team," said Pape, who is sixth in RMAC scoring with 17.9 points per game.

"There's six games left and that's the end of my career," he said. "But we'll have to have a strong finish; the season's not over yet."

Pape, who earned all-conference academic honors with a 3.245 GPA, hopes to play overseas next year.

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