DENVER -- Cruising in the palatial lobby of the downtown Hyatt late yesterday afternoon/early evening, I saw a lot of Washington State basketball players walking by.

A couple of them, like Robbie Cowgill, were with their parents, girlfriend or other family members.

But nobody's "entourage" came even close to Derrick Low's, despite the fact his party had the farthest to travel, by far. Ken Low, Ryan Hirata, Clyde Hirata, Doc Mugiishi, Dean Shimamoto, Jim Kawashima and others traveled from O'ahu. Gwen Lavarias came from Waialua, via short stays in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Lacey Lavarias journeyed from Pullman, Wash., via LA and Vegas.

Dustin Low flew in from Reno.

Zach Tollefson, a high school classmate and teammate, drove up from Pueblo, Colo.

Also at Thursday's game was Kyle Pape, a former teammate who succeeded Low as State Player of the Year. He is an all-conference guard for Colorado School of Mines, an NCAA Division II program.

Not a bad fan club in attendance, again considering the distance and cost involved. But this is only the latest in Hawai'i-based gatherings at Low's games this season.

Lacey and Gwen Lavarias were at last week's Pac-10 Tournament, along with Low's uncle, Pat Costa from O'ahu. Saw him on TV waving ti leaves.

At Senior Night in Pullman two weeks ago, Ken Low was there along with Clyde and Sandy Hirata. Clyde even braved the 90-minute drive through fog back to Spokane Airport.

At the Cougars' road trip to Cal and Stanford, Ken Low was there along with Costa, Tollefson and more classmates like Todd Blankenship and Jon Yasuda. They came in from places like Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and University of Arizona. Even my parents' neighbor, former Kalaheo coach Wade Nakashima, happened to be in the Bay Area on business and attended both games.

Back in January, 'Iolani counselors Ann Yoneshige and Lara Feldhaus and former coach Chad Ito flew from O'ahu to Pullman for the Oregon State and Oregon games.

So, for a guy who went away to a remote school in the Pacific Northwest, Low clearly has not been lacking for fan support from people back home.

As an observer, I think all of this support has helped him have the season he has had so far. Most importantly, I think it has helped him enjoy every moment.

After Thursday night's victory, Low and the gang went to ESPN Zone for dinner and played some games. Last night, they had birthday cake in the Hyatt lobby before heading out to dinner.

The night before Senior Night, there was a get-together at a family friend's house in Pullman where Ken provided local food like spare ribs that he packed in his luggage.

During Wednesday's press conference, Low was asked by a Colorado sports writer about the "culture shock" of moving from Honolulu to Pullman. Low admitted he "didn't know anything" about Pullman when he first got recruited by Dick and Tony Bennett.

"As far as culture shock, yeah, I mean, you got to endure through a tough winter," Low said. "We don't got any of that back in Hawai'i. As far as the food, it's a lot different. I miss home food a lot, a lot more local foods that I miss. What else ... Oh yeah, another thing that I really miss is like the diversity we have back in Hawai'i. I'm used to being around, you know, a lot of Polynesians and a lot of Asians, just a lot of other different kind of people.

"It's just a lot different than it is back in Pullman, so ..."

Having lived in three Mainland regions over a combined five-plus years, I can relate to being away and missing some of the great things about Hawai'i. But of all the things I missed -- the food, the music, the beaches, the weather -- the thing I missed the most was the people.

Which is why I really looked forward to when family or friends would visit. Sometimes, just seeing old familiar faces instantly makes you feel better, almost like you're back home again.

Here in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, exactly one mile above sea level, approximately 3,500 miles from Honolulu without a beach or any body of water in sight, Derrick Low at least has a lot of his 'ohana and support system along with him.

I'm sure it helps.