FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Hawaii's Deonte Tatum had a little help from his family in staying motivated to work toward playing at the D-I level.

Determined
and driven

Hawaii’s Deonte Tatum isn’t
lacking motivation to succeeed
in his new role as a UH
point guard

Deonte Tatum has two sources of motivation driving him to make the most of his opportunity to play college basketball.

On one side are those who never thought he'd make it to a Division I school. On the other is the family who never let him doubt that he would.

For a while it looked like Tatum's basketball journey might stall at the junior college level. But with a bit of time, faith and prodding from his family, he earned a scholarship with the Hawaii basketball team and is now part of the Rainbow Warriors' rotation at point guard.

"I'm definitely working for them," Tatum said of his parents, Stacia and Leon Tatum. "They stayed on top of me throughout the whole thing and stayed supportive.

"They just told me, 'Keep doing what you're doing and something's going to happen.' I had a lot of struggles going on, but they told me just finish up and something will come up and sure enough it did."

Now that he's a part of the UH program, Tatum is determined to take advantage of the chance he's been given at UH. Not only has he earned a spot on the Rainbows' roster, he's also the first member of his immediate family to attend a four-year college.

"There's a lot of motivation to get it done and for me to become a man and just continue to grow," he said.

Tatum and the Rainbows take their 4-0 record into tomorrow's nonconference game against Saint Mary's (Calif.) Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Though the 'Bows are off to a fast start, the same couldn't be said for Tatum after the first week of the season.

Tatum started UH's first two games, but posted just seven points and had four turnovers against Mississippi Valley State and Coastal Carolina. He then played just 1 minute against Southern Illinois.

But with his family in the stands, the 6-foot-3 junior from Milwaukee, Wis., came off the bench last Saturday against Saint Louis and turned in his best performance of the young season.

Tatum, who has already proven to be a tenacious defender, provided a steady hand at the point in the second half of a tight ballgame, finishing with six points and swiping two steals in the 'Bows' 53-52 road win.

"I played a little bit better, but still not where I should be playing at," Tatum said. "Everything's coming along. I'm learning how to incorporate what I do into what the team is looking for."

Tatum not only earned the respect of the coaches with his performance, but with his ability to take coaching and apply it to the game following a locker room lecture from UH assistant coach Bob Burke.

"Burke got into him heavy and he took it, went out there and played," head coach Riley Wallace said. "That's being professional about it.

"He now knows what you want. He's very coachable, so it's just a matter of getting that feel, getting that time and having some success."

Before signing with UH, Tatum played two seasons at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa where he averaged 8.4 points and 4.8 assists per game as a sophomore.

Gibson, Nash back at practice Two of the three Hawaii guards who missed Wednesday's practice were back on the court yesterday. Sophomore Matt Gibson returned a day after being held out of practice for disciplinary reasons. Gibson, the Rainbow Warriors' second-leading scorer with 11.8 points per game, was sent to the locker room by UH coach Riley Wallace during Tuesday's workout and did not participate in practice on Wednesday. Wallace said Gibson will be in the rotation for tomorrow's game against Saint Mary's (Calif.). "They're young people, they make mistakes and you take care of it," Wallace said. "I have no comment about the discipline. It's just we took care of business that needed to be taken care of. We're trying to make a team out of this group and certain things have to be done." Sophomore Bobby Nash (5.8 ppg) also returned after having a boil removed from his right leg on Wednesday. Nash has started all four games and should be available tomorrow. Senior Jake Sottos was the only UH player not to suit up yesterday. He's still feeling the effects of whiplash suffered on Tuesday, but could return today. Wallace said Sottos won't play if he's not able to practice today. Gibson and Nash have started at the guard spots for the last two games, but Wallace said he hasn't decided on the starting combination for tomorrow's game.

Though several publications listed Tatum among the nation's top junior college point guards, questions over whether he would be eligible to play this season kept the four-year schools away.

But when he finished up a history course over the summer, it didn't take long for coaches to start ringing his phone. Among the calls was one from Hawaii, which had just lost both of its point guards from last season.

After Logan Lee informed UH coaches in July of his decision not to return to Manoa, Tatum was brought in on a recruiting visit and signed with the Rainbows shortly thereafter.

"I don't know if it was so much the visit or if it was just God telling me this is what I should do," Tatum said. "It was one of those feelings like it was meant to be."

Since arriving he's impressed the UH staff with his willingness to put in the extra effort. He's a regular in the coaches' office and has been known to be at the gym at 4 a.m. working on his jumper.

"He knows he has a chance to play here," Wallace said. "He's asking questions and watching film more than any guard we've had recently. That's why you stick with him."

Throughout his path from Milwaukee to Honolulu, Tatum has found strength from his family and in a faith that has helped keep both his triumphs and trials in perspective.

"This is basketball and school, but there's more to life than just those things," Tatum said. "For me, I just want to stay humble throughout it all. Because I know it was some of what I did, but it was more so God who put me in this position. So I just take it and roll with it. That's why I try not to get down when stuff doesn't go right."