The Hawaii men’s basketball 2012-13 season can’t take off unless the team’s wings get into the swing of things.

UH’s players at either shooting guard or small forward will be counted on to provide the perimeter scoring punch that the ‘Bows’ point guards and big men might struggle at or avoid entirely.

Are they up to the task? That depends if the only returnee on the wings, senior tri-captain Hauns Brereton, gets some help behind him.

The 6-6 Brereton was a part-time starter last season, averaging 7.7 points in 19.5 minutes per game. He also led the team in 3-point percentage (.363).

But the emergence of Brandon Jawato — the redshirt freshman came on strong in the preseason — and the potential of 6-foot-8 Ozren Pavlovic of Croatia have associate head coach Benjy Taylor salivating. He also considers 6-3 combo guard Brandon Spearman among those on his watch.

"As a group, probably better than any (wings) group we’ve had before, talent-wise," said Taylor, who is in his third year with the program. "There’s just not a lot of experience there. Talent-wise, they’re very significant in what we do and much improved in that area. I look for them to have a very, very good year, because they’re only going to get better with playing time. There’s no substitute for that."

One key loss here was small forward Trevor Wiseman, UH’s former hustle machine who transferred to Division II Cal State Los Angeles. Wiseman did a little bit of everything last season.

That’s potentially where the 6-4 Jawato comes into play. One of only three players remaining on the roster who went on the "Warriors to Asia" tour to China in summer 2011, Jawato benefited greatly from the time he spent as a UH scout-teamer last season. He came back in the offseason with markedly improved conditioning and focus. Jawato brings an all-around game at either the 2 or the 3; his defense and ball-handling were targeted areas last season and now rival his shooting ability.

Pavlovic was a late addition, arriving from Europe just before the fall semester began. But he could also be a key one.

His height and versatile offensive game could allow him to see time at anywhere from the 1 through the 4, though he’s most natural at small forward. But whether he sees the court much this season could hinge on if his approach to defense can come anywhere close to his offensive touch. So far, that imbalance has limited his opportunities, fluctuating him between a first-teamer and a scout-teamer in practices.

Michael Harper carved his way onto the team as a walk-on this summer, when he reached out to the UH coaches with game film from his native Melbourne.