Noah Allen spoke. Reporters, as if hanging on his every word, inched closer. One or two adjusted the volume settings on their recording devices. Inevitable background noise was cause for alarm; Allen would be that much harder to pick up upon replay.

That described any of a number of postgame interviews or midweek press conferences for the Hawaii basketball team in 2016-17. Allen, the graduate transfer from UCLA, has made the most of his short-lived tenure in Manoa to become the soft-spoken-but-effective voice of the Rainbow Warriors.

“He’s always been like that and he will always be like that,” said Allen’s former AAU coach, Rob Jones, with a chuckle. “He really only talks when he has something (important) to say. But then he’s very observant and he listens to people.”

The people should have plenty to say about him Saturday night, when he gets honored as UH’s lone outgoing senior after the ’Bows (13-13, 7-6 Big West) take on Cal State Fullerton (14-12, 8-5) in a 7 p.m. “Whiteout” contest at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Allen, a self-described homebody who would rather “chill” than receive attention, has emerged as one of the Big West’s leading contenders for conference player of the year. Behind the 6-foot-7 wing’s four 30-point games, Allen leads all BWC players in scoring in league play at 18.5 per outing.

His versatile game and graceful forays into the paint have allowed UH — which was picked to finish eighth of nine teams — to entertain a top-four finish with three games remaining. He’s the team’s leading rebounder (5.8) and one of its best passers and defenders.

“I think we are where we are at because of Noah Allen and what he’s done,” said forward Gibson Johnson, who’s spearheaded his teammate’s POY campaign on social media. “He’s a really talented player. I think some early struggles had hidden exactly how talented he is.”

While totaling 84 points in three years of seldom use under Steve Alford at UCLA, he picked up a degree in political science as well as some serious self-doubt. He needed a chance to make the game fun again. To him, having a larger role somewhere would relieve the pressures to succeed he’d placed upon himself.

Allen comes from a successful family. His father, Hubert, manages the pro shop at the renowned Pebble Beach Golf Club. His mother, Grace, is a CPA, and his older brother is an attorney. Allen wants to study law himself once his playing days are done, with an eye on joining a pro team’s front office someday.

Before Allen could thrive, he had to prove to himself he could still ball like his decorated career at Palma (Calif.) High. Over time, he’d cultivated a fear that his skills had eroded.

“When you don’t play for three years, it’s really, really, really tough to know whether or not you still have that ability,” he said. “Still having a feel for the game and awareness for where guys are and stuff like that. It’s things that can leave you when you don’t utilize them for so long.”

Thrust into a prominent role for a Hawaii team that prominently needed thrust, Allen started off effectively, scoring a game-high 22 points against North Carolina in the fourth game of the season. But as he jumped to the top of opponents’ scouting reports, his production dipped precipitously by the end of nonconference play, as did his playing time. He hadn’t yet embraced coach Eran Ganot’s repeated requests for him to talk on the court more and lead his teammates, something that ran at odds with his persona.

In some ways, it was like asking a freshman to lead.

Allen will be the first to tell you he can over think matters.

“Specifically in basketball,” he said. “It’s something that’s always on my mind. I’m constantly thinking about ways to get better. So once I got here, I just wanted to work on … once I’m in the gym, to be focused. But once I’m away from it, just to really be away from it and enjoy my life. So that’s something I’ve definitely gotten better at.”

Allen’s struggles came to a head in UH’s first Big West road trip; he’d increasingly settled on perimeter shots. After UH got blasted by 28 at UC Irvine and Allen barely played, the senior and UH coach Eran Ganot held a meaningful 1-on-1 conversation in a vacant conference room at the team hotel.

“That was one of the biggest changes in our season, to be honest. The road loss at Irvine,” Ganot said. They resolved to “chip away” at the physical before they’d attack the mental.

Said Allen: “Expectations were made clear.”

Results followed.

In the past 11 games, he’s averaged 21.7 points, topping 20 seven times. He’s gone to his full arsenal: outside shot, dribble-drive game, passing ability and, most noticeably, getting to the line. Twice, he rung up 34 points. He’s coming off a 30-point explosion at Cal Poly, becoming the fifth player in program history with four 30-point games in a season — the last being Anthony Harris in 1995-96.

Along the way, Allen began calling teammates together for on-court huddles. He’d routinely ask the coaches, “how’s my leadership?”

That, above all else, has made Ganot proud.

“I’m not sure there’s many people who could have made as great an impact in as short a period of time under the circumstances,” Ganot said. “And that’s a credit to him.

“I imagine it’s going to be pretty loud in here when they call his name one final time.”