Gib Arnold’s University of Hawaii basketball team is off to a great start … even without a great start in either of its first two games. UH is 2-0 despite letting the visitors from Montana State on Friday and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday lead by eight and six points midway through the first half. It was almost as if the Rainbows were the ones whose body clocks were ticking at a pace closer to midnight.

And that’s it for the negatives about Arnold’s Army after the first weekend. Pickers of nit more thorough might come up with others, but that’s all I’ve got.

Sluggish starts don’t always matter … not when you take over in the first 5 minutes of the second half and add a 12-0 run later for good measure against the Bobcats … not when you post the final 14 points against the Titans.

IF YOU’RE going to outscore your opponents by an average of 12 1/2 points in one of the halves, better that it be the second.

And that doesn’t magically happen by itself.

Arnold’s willingness to use 10 players in various combinations early in the game pays off, in the form of fresh starters at key points later. This is not some revolutionary new way to run a basketball team, but after decades of short rotations for the Rainbows it is a novelty here.

Riley Wallace and Bob Nash had their reasons for playing whom they played and benching whom they benched. So far, though, Arnold has found a role for everyone available (true freshman shooting guard Jordan Coleman has yet to play, but that’s because he is a good candidate to redshirt).

Of course, distribution of minutes will change as we get further into the season and abilities and deficiencies become more apparent.

But with Bobby Miles and Anthony Salter capable of significant minutes at point guard, Hiram Thompson won’t fall apart late in the season like a broken down old car again; it wasn’t his fault, but the dysfunction of last year’s team forced Thompson into an ironman role for which he’s not suited.

As we were reminded over the weekend, a healthy and fresh Thompson is a valuable asset, sometimes a game changer. The Rainbows’ early leader in scoring and assists played 32 minutes on Saturday, but the fact that he’d played just 24 the night before likely contributed to his high energy level down the stretch against the Titans.

PLAYERS WHO aren’t exhausted don’t only run faster, shoot better, jump higher and play tighter defense. They also make better decisions. Thompson and the other guards have displayed sound judgment on when to push and when to set up. Everyone, for the most part, has avoided silly fouls.

While the Rainbows were clearly physically superior to their first two opponents and enjoying the comforts of home, don’t forget these were the first real games together for seven players, three of them true freshmen.

Considering all of that, their court awareness and chemistry is outstanding and should only get better. Case in point: Forget, for a moment, the 38 points freshman sharpshooter Bo Barnes scored, 19 in each game — one turnover in 65 minutes is just as impressive.

No wonder Arnold’s OK with playing the freshmen. Barnes, Miles and forward Trevor Wiseman combined for just six turnovers in 118 minutes over the weekend. That’s really good for anyone, it’s astounding for three guys in their first college games.

THE CROWDS at the Stan Sheriff Center were around 5,000 both nights, and were boosted some by the telecasts being on pay-per-view rather than live for free. And that’s how it should be, until the arena gets close to filled.

That won’t be tonight, since ESPN dictates an 11 p.m. start and the foes are the considerably less-than-iconic Central Michigan Chippewas. But if the Rainbows keep performing like this, expect some huge crowds by the time the Diamond Head Classic rolls around next month.

Reach Star-Advertiser sports columnist Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com, his "Quick Reads" blog at staradvertiser.com and twitter.com/davereardon.