There are 17 players on the Hawaii basketball roster. Of the 17, only three are captains. Of the three captains, only one can get away with a fashion critique of head coach Gib Arnold.

"We have a (special) kind of relationship because he sometimes makes fun of me in practice and I sometimes make fun of him," fifth-year senior center Davis Rozitis said. "For example, the other day in practice I made a comment about the ugly sweater he was wearing in the Northern Arizona game.

"He was trying to get back at me about the gear I’m wearing, but then I said, ‘All the gear I’m wearing, you give it to me. So the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’ And then all the freshmen look at me like, what am I saying.

"It’s a different kind of relationship."

Arnold, when informed of Rozitis’ remarks this week, offered up a smirk.

"I remember his freshman year when he came off the plane from Latvia," the coach said. "He had one pair of, they weren’t really shorts, they weren’t really pants, that Europeans wear. … He was wearing capris for his first semester. So I would be worried if he thought (the sweater) was in good fashion. So when he says it’s bad fashion, that’s usually a compliment coming from him."

Then there’s Rozitis’ eclectic variety of facial hair styles. Said forward Isaac Fotu: "He’s tried everything. I’ve never seen someone dye their beard like that. Or eyebrows."

The amiable 7-footer from Cesis, Latvia, has always been a glue guy (and provided comic relief) for the Rainbow Warriors, but was rarely counted on for consistent production in his first two full seasons at UH.

That, like one of Rozitis’ beard styles, has changed.

Heading into Saturday’s 7 p.m. interisland game against Chaminade at Kauai High School, Rozitis is shooting an absurd 17-for-20 (85 percent) from the field through eight games, almost exclusively on a series of layups and dunks. It’s helped UH (6-2) to a four-game winning streak.

"I can just explain it, all my shots have been really close to the rim," Rozitis said. "It would be just a crime to miss. And I think my teammates find me on a lot of occasions, so I need to reward them with an assist."

Defensively, he spearheads UH’s effective "point zone" when he appears early in games off the bench, and he leads the team in blocks with 10.

Rozitis is more comfortable than ever in his fourth year in the islands, and has embraced his elevated status as team leader and reliable source of energy off the bench, supplying 5.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.

He has been with Arnold all five years of his college career, including his true freshman season at USC, when Arnold was an assistant and the Trojans won the inaugural Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in 2009. Rozitis was a lightly used reserve but, as many here have come to learn, he’s practically shameless, and he held the tournament trophy high on the Stan Sheriff Center court.

He transferred to UH the following summer when Arnold took the Manoa coaching gig. Rozitis redshirted a season, played two more as a backup to Vander Joaquim and graduated with honors with a political science degree. He’s now a graduate student seeking a certificate in conflict resolution, an area that mirrors one of his key jobs on the team.

Much of his responsibility involves making newcomers comfortable and bringing together one of the most diverse rosters in the country.

"That’s exactly what he does," Fotu said. "He teaches the freshmen a lot of things. He told me when I first came into the program, what’s acceptable, what’s not acceptable. How to act, on and off the court, and how college basketball is as a whole, as well."

Rozitis trained as a boxer in the offseason to up his toughness. Three times a week, he went to a Latvian gym and squared off in the ring against players from a local basketball team.

"It was legit. It wasn’t just beating up the bag," he says.

Rozitis’ excellent mobility for a big man is still his greatest asset. When it’s time for him to come in and change the pace, he does so by pressuring opposing guards with his long frame — first upcourt in a pressing zone defense, then after dropping back to the top of the key, and finally by swinging from side to side to keep himself between the ball and the basket in the unconventional point zone scheme.

The defense, tailored specifically to Rozitis and first introduced last season, is a fitting reward for his time in the program.

Even Arnold, Rozitis’ fashion foil, will give him his due, and will listen to Rozitis’ input if the captain has something to say.

"Not a lot of guys get that much respect, where we have changed things for him, because of his abilities," Arnold said. "In the five years I’ve known Davis, he’s playing the best basketball of his career right now."

Video coordinator Smith to return

Former UH video coordinator Jamie Smith, who galvanized the Manoa student section with themed game nights last year, said he is finalizing visa paperwork to resume that role for UH this season. He might arrive around the start of Big West play in early January.

"Still waiting for Hawaii to get the official paperwork back from US immigration so I can go to the London embassy to get my visa, but it’s been approved!" Smith said in a message.