After watching a few minutes of an Indiana men's basketball game, it's not too hard to spot Kirk Haston.

He's the one who shoots that "old-school" skyhook, a shot that has been virtually extinct in modern day hoops.

But as ugly as it may look, it's effective.

That's why Haston developed it -- it gives him an advantage when playing against some of the best college players in the country. Haston might have the shooting touch and attitude it takes to play college basketball, but the hook shot has helped Haston overcome the fact that he doesn't possess the rawest athletic ability that some of his opponents do.

Actually, overcoming obstacles is nothing knew to him. Haston has had to fight through much greater challenges in his life than lacking the raw ability of his counterparts. Just last May, tragedy hit when his mother was killed after a tornado swept through his hometown of Lobelville, Tenn.

At the time, Haston was in summer school and he rushed home upon hearing the news. The death was especially hard on Haston because he had built such a close relationship with his mother.

The two became tight after Haston's parents split up when he was just 4-years-old. One could only imagine the effect the breakup had on a child. But there was that one person there to get Haston through the difficulties.

"I grew up with just this incredible relationship with my mom, and I have to give her all the credit," Haston humbly said. "She did a double job and I really wouldn't have changed anything growing up. It couldn't have been any better."

Seventeen years later, Haston had once again lost a parent. This time, his mother was not right there to provide the comfort that she had before.

However, the adjustment was eased a bit by the aid others provided him. Where before Haston looked to his mother, he now found support in friends and neighbors, both in Bloomington, Ind., and in Lobelville.

"The support I received was just incredible," Haston said. "(My team), (former) coach (Bob) Knight and just the whole Indiana community really did pull through for me, as well as my hometown."

In addition to the help he received from those he knew, Haston relied on something his mother left behind -- a strong Christian faith that she had implanted in him as a child.

"One of the things that I've always been proud to be able to say is that I haven't been somebody that, after a tragedy, had to say, 'Ever since then, I'm going to turn my life around,' " Haston said. "And I think that is a testament to my mom and my granddad and them bringing me up going to church.

"And I'm really pretty proud to say I'm living my life the same way that I did when my mom was here."

That life is one any parent would be pleased with, said Martha R. Edwards. She has been a vocational teacher at Perry County, Haston's high school, for more than 30 years and a scorekeeper for the basketball team for even longer. Knowing Haston for all four years, she said he was one of a special group of kids that played basketball there.

"He's as fine a young man as you will ever know," Mrs. Edwards said. "I guess you could say he almost optimizes an ideal student and athlete."

Not much has changed from his high school days, except maybe for the better. First-year Indiana coach Mike Davis said Haston is the kind of individual one would want as a son.

"Kirk is going through a lot -- the coaching change, his mother," Davis said. "But he goes to church every Sunday and I don't think I've ever heard him say a bad word."

In his first season since his mother's death, Haston has continued to represent that "ideal" image. She would be proud of the person he is, as Haston has maintained that classy attitude while working hard to be the best basketball player he can.

The work is paying off. Haston is enjoying a strong junior year, being named Big Ten Player of the Week two weeks ago. The highlight of the season was his buzzer-beating three-pointer against then-No. 1 Michigan State. The shot gave Indiana a 59-58 win, breaking the Spartans' nation-best 23-game winning streak.

"I hope that when I look back, it's one of the high points," Haston said. "I just hope it's not the high point of this season."

At 1-2 in the Big Ten conference and a year filled with inconsistencies, most experts might dismiss the notion of Indiana having much post-season success.

But with a senior-less team gaining confidence and an improving first-year coach, the experts might not want to do that just yet.

After all, Haston has a knack for overcoming things that seem too large to overcome.