They’d look at Zane Johnson’s resume. See his jersey number. Go by his reputation.

"Zane Johnson is a spot-up shooter," they’d say.

Johnson furrows his brow at the notion.

"I hate when people say that," Johnson said. "I feel that’s disrespectful for everything I’ve done, you know? It’s like saying I pretty much can’t play; all I can do is sit in the corner and shoot 3s. I just don’t want to be labeled as a 3-point shooter."

The former Arizona guard will be among the many in the Stan Sheriff Center seeking a fresh start tonight when his new team, Hawaii, opens the 2010-11 season against Montana State.

Johnson, a Phoenix native, is the Rainbow Warriors’ starting shooting guard, and will most likely be joined for tipoff by Hiram Thompson at point guard, Joston Thomas at small forward, Bill Amis at power forward and Vander Joaquim at center.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound junior chose three as his jersey number when he arrived last season. Yes, three. Not exactly the best way to bust his stigma like he busted zone defenses as a Wildcat.

Johnson concedes the point, but swears that wasn’t intentional. Three is his grandpa’s favorite number.

It’s true, letting it fly from behind the arc used to be his sole occupation. Johnson was a part-time starter for the Wildcats when they made a Sweet 16 run in 2008-09. He was essentially a long-range specialist, especially from the corners, and did his job well. He shot 41 percent on 3s in 11 starts in Pac-10 games.

But his limited role ate at him. That, and a carousel of coaches during his two years with the Wildcats, sent him away. Playing for Bob Nash at Hawaii seemed as good an idea as any for a restart.

He had yet to face his toughest test. Johnson sat out last season for both the mandatory NCAA transfer rule and a torn patellar tendon in his left knee that reduced him to rehabbing for months. He could only watch as the Rainbows combusted internally and Nash was fired following a last-place finish in the Western Athletic Conference and 10-20 season.

"Knowing that I couldn’t help and everything that went on last year, with the coaching and players, it was definitely tough," Johnson says. "It was definitely nothing I’d ever experienced before. It was a shock, some of the things that went on."

Enter new Hawaii coach Gib Arnold in March. Here was a coaching change that Johnson welcomed. As luck would have it, the two had some history. Johnson was a former recruiting target of Arnold’s in his days as a USC assistant.

"It was great (him being here)," Arnold said. "He wasn’t a guy I recruited, he was a guy I hung out with. … He definitely needs coaching, we’re not hanging out on that side. But in the recruiting process, he was actually a fun guy."

Johnson is naturally easygoing; like Amis and Thompson, he’s fond of cranking up the Xbox 360 for some "Call of Duty: Nazi Zombies" in his free time. But after fully recovering from his knee injury, he devoted hours and hours in the offseason to make his quest for versatility possible. He’s proved it throughout the preseason by strongly attacking the rim, a welcome sight for the new UH coaches.

"When I first got here, I thought Zane was an unbelievable worker in the offseason," said assistant Benjy Taylor, who oversees the guards. "I thought he was relentless and I thought he knew his game pretty well — he worked on those strengths that he had. Since he started practice and individual workouts, he’s really done a good job of trying to develop his weaknesses (defense). He’s turned into a pretty good all-around basketball player."

Johnson can still bury the trey with the best of them, of course — his "bread and butter," as he calls it, and that extends to NBA range. The team’s new multiple-set offense works just fine for him, as various screen-and-roll looks and drive-and-kick dishes play right into his hands. If he’s overplayed at the 3-point line, he can put the ball on the floor and finish.

Sharpshooting freshman guard Bo Barnes has taken notice of Johnson’s recent drive to drive.

"Just the way he attacks the rim hard, every time," Barnes said. "Or give a little pump fake, and two dribbles, pull-up (shot)."

Whether he proves himself by living from within or without 20 feet, 9 inches ultimately doesn’t matter to Johnson, as long as the team avoids a fate like last season’s.

"This year I’m glad I can finally play and show the people of Hawaii what I can do," Johnson said. "I just want to win. I do not want to lose. That’s the main thing. I won’t go out as a loser here. I won’t."