In Gib Arnold’s pro-style offense, versatility is a must for the wings to take flight.

All three of the natural small forwards on the Hawaii roster — sophomore Joston Thomas (6-7, 235), sophomore Dominick Brumfield (6-8, 215) and freshman Trevor Wiseman (6-7, 210) — must know how to play both inside and out.

Expect to see these players sliding over to power forward at times, depending on matchups and foul situations.

"They actually have to learn more than any of the other players because there’s a little bit of a line between the power forward and the small forward," Arnold said. "In certain offenses, they do completely different things. Sometimes they mesh, but usually they’re (different). So you’ve got to learn the outside and the inside. It’s tough for new guys to pick up that position."

All three of the ‘Bows’ small forwards are new to Hawaii. Two (Thomas and Brumfield) arrived from the junior college ranks and one (Wiseman) came straight from high school.

While UH lost its best player of the last two seasons in small forward Roderick Flemings, the Rainbows picked up a new do-it-all type in Thomas.

Thomas is perhaps the most versatile player on the team. He shot 46 percent on 3-pointers at the College of Southern Idaho and, as the ‘Bows’ strongest player, is a threat inside on putbacks and lobs. He’s also been lauded for his intelligence and grasp of the game.

Thomas has been described as a "beast" or someone who "looks like he should be playing football" by an untold number of people who’ve stopped by to observe practices.

"He’s a guy who can get points in a variety of ways," said assistant coach Benjy Taylor, who works with the wings.

Wiseman, a gifted ballhandler for a forward, bulls his way to the rim as the team’s most fearless slasher. His decisions aren’t always the best, but they’ve yielded some impressive results at times.

"I always say, if you’re going to make a mistake, make an aggressive mistake," Arnold said. "Well, Trevor Wiseman by far leads the team in aggressive mistakes. So I love his passion, and that’s what’s going to get him on the floor."

Brumfield is the wild card. He missed most of the preseason while rehabbing a fractured kneecap, and hasn’t exhibited what he can do in live drills. He’s another guy who can fill it up — the only problem is, he’s been doing it against air for the last few months.

"He’s got skill. He’s got scoreability. He’s got size. It just depends on whether he can ever get back to 100 percent and what that is," Arnold said.