Oklahoma. Florida. Minnesota. Purdue.

There were so many options for the 6-foot-2 guard coming out of Marshaltown (Iowa) Community College. Places that were promising he'd be in the starting lineup . . . soon.

Hawaii? Heck, Hook had never even seen the ocean.

Yet, here he is, about as far away from his mid-American roots as he could go. In a place where he knows he won't start anytime soon.

Hook knew he'd be playing behind one of the best guard tandems in the country this season: Anthony "AC" Carter and Alika Smith. He signed with the Rainbows anyway.

"The coaches at Hawaii were always honest with me," said Hook, a reserve guard for the 4-0 Rainbow men's basketball team, which takes on Long Island University tonight. "They never tried to get around AC and Alika.

"I knew how it was going to be coming in. It's taught me a lot. It's frustrating and it hurt but I know it's going to help me down the road. I thought hard when making this decision. Hopefully, the scouts will be talking about me next year like they're talking about AC and Alika now. I want to play at the next level (NBA) and I know I just need to stick it out to make it happen."

It hasn't been easy. Earlier in the semester, Hook had a major attack of homesickness, calling his family every day, crying about wanting to come home.

He missed his parents, his girlfriend and his two best friends: 17-year-old brother Justin and 15-year-old sister Amber. But once basketball practice started, life was good again.

And it's been getting better.

Carter's shoulder injury allowed Hook to put in substantial minutes at the point last weekend. After four misses in the previous three games, Hook finally connected on his first shot against Southern Illinois last Sunday.

"I was glad to see his first shot fall because it seemed to pump a lot of energy into his game," said Hawaii coach Riley Wallace. "He's trying to learn our system and get it down as quickly as possible. He knows he needs to work more and pick up his intensity. It's better than when he got here and it's got to get better to get him where we want to be."

A decent shooter with good range and quickness, Hook prefers playing the point. The pass is the thing and he is in awe of Carter's ability to connect with his teammates.

"AC doesn't even have to say anything, I can just watch and pick up on things," Hook said. "I'd rather make the nice pass than score myself and that's what I like about AC. He's so team-based.

"It's been good for me to come in off the bench. I know I can shine out there. It's just a matter of getting those minutes."

Hook is the third Rainbow to come out of Marshaltown, following Tony Maroney and Anthony Harris to Hawaii. Hook said he wasn't a serious student in high school but has no regrets going the JC rout.

"The ties to Hawaii helped, but Jackson (assistant coach Wheeler) had a lot to do with my decision," Hook said. "He was so personable when he came and visited with me and my family. Riley was the same way. My family liked him right off the bat, too.

"It was kind of scary with the other coaches, and they were all from good programs. I chose here because of the season Hawaii had last year and knowing that they'd be just as good this year. It's even better than I expected."

"The good thing about Chad is, even though he knew he'd have to back up AC and Alika, he was willing to do it," Wheeler said. "He is a very, very talented guard who was heavily recruited. He's made the sacrifice to play in our program. I respect him for that.

"It's great that Chad got some playing time last weekend. Without AC, we won two games and Chad had a lot to do with it. That helped his confidence and the team's confidence. They know he can come in and keep us competitive."

Hook had eight assists, nine points and just one turnover in the 26 minutes against Southern Illinois.

"It wasn't scary at all when he and Casey (Cartwright) came in," said Smith. "Of course, you wonder how they're going to react in a game situation but they were just fine. Chad did a great job controlling the ball.

"He's a great guy, has that mentality to come out and give it his all. He's learning to run the offense and making good progress. I think he's got a lot more confidence after last weekend."