How good is Roderick Flemings?

It is the most asked question surrounding the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team during this preseason.

The opening statement to the answer will come tomorrow when the Rainbow Warriors host San Francisco in the first game of the 2008-09 season.

"I feel like I have the weight of the team on me, along with the fans, boosters," Flemings said. "But that gets me going. I like thinking about that to get my day started."

Flemings, a 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior forward, will make his much-anticipated debut in a Hawai'i uniform tomorrow. He missed the team's two exhibition games while attending his grandfather's funeral in Texas.

"I hear it. It's like people in Hawai'i are really expecting me to do something here," he said. "I'm going to show up for them. I want to give them something to see."

Even before leaving for his grandfather's funeral, Flemings' practice time was limited due to a sprained right ankle. He said it is not completely healed, but "getting better every day."

Because of the injury and the practice time he missed, Flemings is not expected to play a full game tomorrow. During practices this week, he has been playing the role of sixth man, filling in at both small forward and shooting guard.

Still, he has shown glimpses of his hyped talent in practice.

During a 5-on-5 practice drill this week, Flemings drove down the middle of the lane, soared over two defenders, and threw down a left-handed dunk. It had his teammates and coaches buzzing after practice.

"It was an NBA-type play," volunteer assistant coach Johnny White said. "We almost stopped practice right there. If he makes plays like that, this place is going to be exciting."

Flemings said: "That one felt good, but that was off one leg. I'm still not playing my best. It's still to come. I think I'll show more of what I can do as my (ankle) gets better."

On the day Flemings injured his ankle during a pick-up game, there was one fan in the gym. Gordon Nishimiya, who has been attending UH games for nearly 40 years, said Flemings on two healthy ankles was a sight to behold.

"He went up for a dunk and his head was above the rim," Nishimiya said. "When he came down, he landed on somebody's foot and that's how he got hurt. But if he's healthy, he's the complete package. In all my years watching UH, I can't think of anybody with a complete game like him."

Flemings was a junior college first-team All-American last season at Weatherford College (Texas), where he averaged 20.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

He was recruited by several elite programs, and ultimately selected Hawai'i over Kentucky.

"I think about that sometimes, but I can't look back on it," he said. "I'm just trying to make it work in Hawai'i right now, and get to the (NCAA) Tournament."

Flemings has been described as Hawai'i's best recruit since Anthony Carter in 1996.

"The best thing about A.C. was he made the whole team better," said UH associate coach Jackson Wheeler, who was the primary recruiter of both Carter and Flemings. "Rod can do the same thing, even though he's not a point guard. He can score, he can pass, he can rebound, he can defend. He's just a really gifted player."

Former 'Bow Tes Whitlock, who is now a student manager with the team, said Flemings is "a more explosive version" of former UH star Julian Sensley.

"Julian, Phil Martin, those guys could play inside and out and they were good defenders," Whitlock said. "Rod is the same, but he can jump higher, handle (the basketball) better, run the floor quicker. Our program doesn't see players like this too often."

White, who is also a former 'Bow, said Flemings has the same kind of leaping ability as his former teammate, Erin Galloway.

"The way he can get up to the rim so quick reminds me of Erin," White said. "But Erin certainly couldn't handle the ball or shoot it like Rod. We definitely have a unique talent here."

Rodney Okai, a UH basketball fan since the early 1970s, described Flemings as "the real deal" after observing several preseason practices.

"He's a potential NBA player, he's that good," Okai said. "He can get up so quick and do so many things. And he's a very unselfish player."

Flemings showed that kind of talent at DeSoto High in Texas, and he was recruited by schools like Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas as a high school senior. Some recruiting services ranked him among the top 25 prep players in the country, and he eventually signed with Oklahoma State.

"They were expecting a lot out of me there, too, and I was only a freshman," Flemings said.

He was good enough to start four games as a true freshman for the Cowboys, but said he became disenchanted with the program when legendary head coach Eddie Sutton stepped down in the middle of the season.

He transferred to North Texas, but soon discovered that he didn't like it there and wound up at Weatherford College.

"It's been tough finding a place where I can be comfortable, but I think this is it," Flemings said. "I'm really liking Hawai'i."

In between his years of turbulent transfers, Flemings put tattoos on his forearms. On the right arm it says "Still" and on the left it says "Ballin."

"I know a lot of people thought I was going to fall off and stop playing basketball, so that was like my message — I'm still here," he said. "I want to show those people I can still play all the way out in Hawai'i."

Now, Flemings has added incentive.

His maternal grandparents, Ronald and Lula Young, helped raise him. He admittedly is still mourning Ronald's death.

"He was the guy always watching me, talking to me about basketball," Flemings said. "I'm dedicating my season to him and my grandmother. She's my No. 1 fan and I want to be strong for her."