If ski boots had been made a little bigger eight years ago, P.J. Owsley might be in the Winter X Games this week.

Instead, Owsley is the starting center for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team, which will host New Mexico State in a Western Athletic Conference game today at 7:05 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Owsley, a 6-foot-8 senior, is entering the final stretch of his collegiate career with the Rainbow Warriors. It's been an intriguing journey from the slopes of Bozeman, Mont., to the shores of Honolulu.

"When he was a kid, he skied a ton in the winters," his father Phil said. "But he kept growing and his feet got too big. They didn't have his size, so he stopped and just stuck to basketball after that."

Imagine the impression a 6-foot-8, 240-pounder — with size 16 1/2 feet — flying down the slopes could have made had he stuck to skiing.

"Moguls, jumps, I did it all. I was nice," Owsley said with a laugh.

But skiing's loss was UH basketball's gain.

Owsley said basketball was his priority as a teenager in Bozeman, even during the freezing winters.

The family house had a backboard and rim set up in the backyard for P.J. and his younger brother, Jacob. They even installed lights for night sessions.

"We'd shovel the snow and play in our sweats and jackets," Owsley said. "If our fingers and hands got too cold, we'd run in the house and warm up for a little bit, then we'd come back out and play some more."

PLAYING INJURED

In some ways, Owsley still has that youthful exuberance in his game. It is why he has been willing to endure his senior season on an injured left calf.

Owsley was a starter for most of last season — averaging 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game — and was projected to be a key contributor this season.

But he suffered an injury to his left calf before the season started, and has played in pain ever since. The injury remains somewhat of a mystery, and may require surgery after this season.

"When you have an injury like that, where you feel the pressure every time you walk on it, your mind is diverted," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "It was clear that it bothered P.J. for a couple months."

Owsley started the season on the bench, and his contributions were limited in the first 10 games of the season.

But after starting center Stephen Verwers suffered a season-ending broken leg in December, Owsley was forced back into the starting lineup. Now, he is the only experienced low-post player the 'Bows have.

"I don't see it as pressure, but I feel obligated to step up to the role," he said. "I know I have to be the big guy in the middle now."

On a two-game road trip to the state of Idaho last week, the heavy snowfall must have rejuvenated Owsley. He had 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in the two games.

STATS DON'T TELL IT ALL

Hawai'i assistant coach Larry Farmer said teammates were requesting plays for Owsley for the first time all season during those games.

"They recognized what he was doing and a bunch of them kept saying, 'Let's get it to P.J. Let's get it to P.J.' because they knew what he was doing inside was opening things up on the outside for everybody else," Farmer said.

Owsley is now averaging 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season. Modest statistics for a modest role.

"I know I'm not the big scorer on this team," he said. "I just need to hit my shots when I'm open. I'd like to get more rebounds, though."

Most of his points, rebounds and blocked shots have come against bigger and more athletic opponents. Farmer, who coaches the Hawai'i post players, said Owsley makes up for his shortcomings with hustle.

"He's a student of the game," Farmer said. "He's very clever with the little things you have to do to get a shot off or grab a rebound from a bigger guy."

Nash said Owsley's value to the 'Bows on the court can not always be found in the boxscore.

"He sets great screens, and he's a threat to post up or hit an outside shot, which means the defense has to guard him," Nash said. "And he makes good decisions when he has the ball in his hands. Those things don't always show up in the stats, but those are all things that help you win games."

WOULD LIKE TO GIVE BACK

Owsley said he would like to pass his low-post secrets to future players after his season at UH is over. He is on pace to graduate in December with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

"If I can play overseas after this, great," he said. "If not, I'd like to try and start out as a graduate assistant somewhere and see how I like coaching."

Although he misses the snow — "just a little bit," he said — he now prefers the warmth of Honolulu to the cold of Bozeman. He's even taken a liking to something he never thought he would ... raw fish.

"Believe it or not, that's my favorite thing now," he said. "I love sushi, spicy 'ahi. And I always have some poke in my fridge."

Just like the transition from skiing to basketball, the move from Bozeman to Honolulu has apparently worked out well.

"P.J. has all the traits that will make him a good husband, a good father, just a good person in society," Nash said. "That should count for something."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.