Low makes strong showing at camp

By Dennis Anderson
Advertiser Staff Writer

The future belongs to Derrick Low, as far as Nike's top high school basketball expert is concerned.

"If he continues to work hard ... and continues improving aspects of his game, that can propel him to wherever he wants to go," Don Crenshaw said.

Crenshaw, Nike's director of high school basketball, evaluated Low, a 15-year-old sophomore-to-be at Iolani School, at Nike's exclusive Hoops Jamboree in St. Louis, June 20-24.

"Derrick more than held his own against the best. He was outstanding; one of the top guards in camp as a freshman," Crenshaw said in a telephone interview.

There were 102 invited first-and second-year high school players, primarily sophomores (class of 2003), at the camp, Crenshaw said.

These, Crenshaw said, were Low's strengths:

• "Knowledge of the game, he's got lots of basketball savvy;

• "He's very adept at running a team;

• "Distributing the ball;

• "Taking his offense as the opportunity arose without aggressively looking for it; he did a wonderful job of that, he was capable of picking up his offense any time he desired;

• "His shooting was outstanding, one of the best in camp ... Most players, if they were as successful shooting as Derrick was, would shot an awful lot more than he does."

Crenshaw summed up: "He was very good in a lot of different categories ... a really solid performance."

Crenshaw declined to talk about areas in which Low needs to improve, but Low said there are several. "My defense was way better than my offense up there," Low said. "I need to improve on my shooting confidence and, most important, start playing hard from the beginning."

The past high-school season in Hawai'i, Low was the first freshman ever selected first team all-state and the first freshman ever picked by coaches as Player of the Year in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu.

At the Nike camp, which was closed to the public, a staff of coaches and a few invited scouts watched the players in drills and games and made evaluations and observations that Nike will not divulge.

Crenshaw would not confirm a report that Low was the fourth-rated of nine freshman guards in the camp.

If that ranking is true, Low's reaction was, "I have to work harder and hopefully I'll get to be No. 1 later on."

"Later on" could be next summer, at Nike's 180-player All-America Camp.

"Derrick's in the forefront" of candidates, Crenshaw said. "He has distinguished himself in this collection of best players from around the nation."

Would Low consider following the footsteps of another Hawai'i standout — Julian Sensley — who attended a Mainland college prep school to improve his basketball skills?

(Sensley left for Connecticut following his junior year at Kalaheo and now will be attending the University of California in the fall.)

"It probably would be better for me to go to the Mainland," Low said, "but I'll probably just stay in Hawai'i and take my opportunities in the summer to go to the Mainland," Low said.

Besides attending the Nike camp in St. Louis, Low also traveled to Italy in early June. He averaged 27 points and was named the most valuable player of a tournament in Vercelli.

Low said he has read about and seen Sensley play.

"I know who he is, but not personally," Low said. "I used to read about him all the time and I watched him play on the Mainland (two years ago) in Las Vegas.

"He's a real talented player; he can shoot from the 3-point line and drive and dunk over people. He's got the whole game."

You can reach Dennis Anderson at dennis@lava.net or 236-3654.