When the Hawaii men’s basketball team departs today on a 17-day road trip through China and Japan, one of the main challenges will be making sure nothing — and nobody — gets lost in translation.

Much of that responsibility falls upon junior forward Hauns Brereton, one of the newest Rainbow Warriors, who happens to be fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

"Coach (Gib Arnold) told me, I’m the guy. ‘You’re going to be the translator.’ So hopefully I’ll come back alive," Brereton said with a laugh.

UH hopes to come back with a few other things, too. In addition to the bonding and cultural experiences for 10 players, the UH coaching staff and a dozen fans and boosters, there’s a big reason for the unprecedented trip. Yao Ming-level big, or so Arnold’s thought process goes.

"The goal is to build relationships so they (China) feel comfortable sending their national-level players coming here to get an education and playing basketball for us," Arnold said. "We have a chance to tell our story and to build relationships, whether it’s with the basketball society over there or the government."

Strong showings in seven exhibition games would help toward that end. A mixture of university and professional teams will test the mettle of a UH squad low on numbers and light on size.

The Rainbow Warriors are looking forward to it nonetheless, particularly Brereton, who took a two-year LDS mission to Taiwan before enrolling in junior college a year ago.

"It was part of the recruiting process (to UH) for me," Brereton said. "They knew that I loved the Chinese culture. … I just loved the people there. They’re a very open people and they’re always there to help out. I miss the food, I miss talking to people in Chinese."

Other Rainbow Warriors were noticeably excited during the 10 days of practices leading up to the trip.

"I’m from (Washington) D.C., I get to come to school in Hawaii, and I get to visit China," junior forward Joston Thomas said, pausing between places for emphasis. "Of course I’m ready." He smiled wide.

"I’m from New York. I’m always ready," affirmed freshman point guard Shaquille Stokes.

The opportunity for heavy playing time on the trip might mean the most to 7-foot sophomore center Davis Rozitis, UH’s only true center making the trip. He sat out last season as an NCAA transfer from USC and is eager to prove his ability.

"It’s everything," Rozitis said of the trip.

Guard Zane Johnson will travel but is questionable to participate in games. Johnson, the top scorer from 2010-11, suffered an ankle injury before the trip. So did sophomore forward Trevor Wiseman, but Wiseman made a faster-than-expected recovery and should play.

UH could be looking at a seven- or eight-man active roster, but the team is grateful for a chance to play when most teams around the country are still enjoying their offseasons.

"We just want to show that we can play as a team. Just get better, we have an edge on everybody … because we’re going over to a new country and just playing," said sophomore point guard Bobby Miles, who has never left the United States.

The journey starts with two practice games against World University Games teams Brazil and Australia in Dongguan, near the southernmost part of the country. From there the team works its way up through Shanghai and plays Chinese Basketball Association pro teams Shandong, Qingdao and Shenyang in the northern part of the country.

After a stop in Beijing, UH travels to Osaka to play the Panasonic Trians of the Japan Basketball League. Then it’s home to Hawaii for the start of the fall semester on Aug. 22.

Assistant coach Brandyn Akana — besides Brereton, the only member of the UH party to have been to China before — arranged for plenty of cultural stops and points of interest along the way. He estimated he’s traveled to the world’s most populous country 20 times since 2000 for camps and tours; he knows where to hit.

"There’s a lot of stuff that’s going to be happening. These guys will see a lot of new things," Akana said. "Just the whole experience, the food, the language, and the traveling within the country.

"I think we’ve done a pretty good job of mapping it out where the guys got a little bit of culture, a lot of basketball, and of course a lot of time together as a coaching staff and as a team."