But in other ways, Bobby Nash has come a long way since graduating from Iolani less than a year ago to the UH men's basketball team this year.

Nash, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound wing player, is the only freshman on this season's roster. He has slowly worked his way into the playing rotation, and is now the primary back-up to leading scorer Michael Kuebler.

"He's made himself into a valuable part of this team," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "I'm not afraid to put him in any game, in any situation."

Nash will again play a reserve role tomorrow when the Rainbow Warriors host San Jose State in a Western Athletic Conference game at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The 'Bows are 15-4 overall and — thanks to a slew of upsets yesterday in the WAC — are now alone in first place in the conference at 7-2. The Spartans are 5-14 overall and in last place in the conference at 0-9.

"I know what my role on the team is," Nash said. "I'm behind one of the best players in the league, so my job is to give him some rest when he needs it and try to play as hard as I can when I'm out there."

Nash is averaging 2.1 points per game — a modest average, but about 2.1 more than some people expected out of him this season.

Nash was a first-team all-state selection as a junior and senior at Iolani. However, he played mostly power forward and center because he was one of the tallest players on the team.

Now, he is a shooting guard and small forward for the 'Bows.

"The players I go against are bigger and stronger," he said. "But as far as me playing a different position, that hasn't been too much of a problem."

The proof is in his efficiency. Nash is shooting 54.5 percent from the field, including a team-best 60 percent (6 of 10) from 3-point range.

"This is not a wasted season for him," Wallace said. "The minutes that he gives us are big. What I like is his energy. He plays so hard and he's a fighter."

The home fans have taken notice, adopting Nash as the crowd favorite this season.

It's quite a change from the start of the season. In UH's first exhibition game, Nash was the only player who did not get in the game.

"I'm kind of glad that happened, actually," Nash said. "It made me more hungry. I never wanted that to happen again."

Since then, he has never stopped working.

His father, Bob Nash, is UH's associate coach and a legendary player from the "Fabulous Five" teams of the 1970s.

After practices, they are often the last two people to leave the court. Sometimes, they'll work on extra shooting or rebounding drills. Other times, they'll just sit and talk about basketball.

"As a parent, I want him to play more and be more productive when he's on the floor," Bob Nash said. "But as a coach, I have the same feelings for other players. It's just that I might pull for him a little more because he is my son."

The two insist they have not had any problems separating basketball and family.

"I grew up around this program, so they're all family," Bobby Nash said of the UH coaches. "Off the court, they're still family. On the court, they're coaches. It's not that hard to see the difference."

On the road especially, Bob Nash said his only son has no problem differentiating between coach and father.

"At practice, he won't say anything," Bob Nash said. "But once we get back to the hotel, he wants money for food, for new shoes, for everything. I told him he gets a per diem like anybody else."

Wallace said: "Everybody just has to be patient. He's got four years with us and the way he works, he's got an excellent shot at becoming a really good basketball player."