ASSOCIATED PRESS Washington State guard Derrick Low, a three-time Star-Bulletin Mr. Basketball pick, was one of 12 players selected to the USA team for the Pan American Games at Rio de Janeiro. CLICK FOR LARGE

Low on Pan Am team

The Iolani graduate is the first from Hawaii to make the roster of a USA Basketball squad

Derrick Low is on his way to Rio de Janeiro.

Low, an Iolani graduate and an incoming senior at Washington State, made the final cut for USA basketball's Pan American Games team as part of the 12-player roster announced yesterday.

Low is the first player from Hawaii to make a USA Basketball roster. Tom Henderson, who played for the University of Hawaii from 1972-74, was a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team coming out of San Jacinto Junior College.

A group of 30 hopefuls tried out for the team last week at Haverford (Pa.) College with 14 picked as finalists. After four more practices, the roster was finalized yesterday for the Pan Am Games basketball competition to be held July 25-29 in Brazil.

"This was as difficult of a decision as any I've been involved in with USA Basketball," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright, who will lead the U.S. team in the Pan Am Games. "Every kid here could play on the team and we would be proud to take them to Brazil.

"We just had to decide do we want to play with some extra guards and some extra bigs and maybe not as many wings, and that's really what it came down to. ... We've got to learn who is going to play what spots, who's going to have what roles, and I think it will move quickly now that we know who the squad is."

Low, a three-time Star-Bulletin Mr. Basketball pick at Iolani, was an All-Pacific 10 first-team selection this season after averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game and 2.1 assists.

Joining Low on the roster are Washington State teammate Kyle Weaver, Joey Dorsey (Memphis), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Shan Foster (Vanderbilt), James Gist (Maryland), Roy Hibbert (Georgetown), Maarty Leunen (Oregon), Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth), Drew Neitzel (Michigan State), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova) and D.J. White (Indiana).