Joston Thomas is a Hawaii basketball shareholder — he’s bought in. Some combination of tough love, frantic arm waving from coach Gib Arnold and newfound inner peace has the Rainbow Warriors junior power forward back on the straight and narrow after a rugged stretch that saw Thomas benched for near halves at a time.

UH’s return on the Thomas investment has been fruitful of late, even as the ‘Bows (2-4) struggled in road losses at Pepperdine and Pacific.

Since returning to the starting lineup over the past three games, Thomas seems to have taken to heart one of the UH coaches’ several messages to him: Play to your strength … strength. Lately, Thomas has eliminated his outside shot in favor of power takes to the basket. It’s led to 13.3 points per game on 57.1 percent shooting over that span.

"I mean, I’m 6-7, 230. I’m a physical specimen," Thomas said with a grin. "So you know, them wanting me to play around the basket is cool with me."

UH desperately needs Thomas — unquestionably one of the most talented players on the team, and its strongest — to play big, continuing with Sunday’s home game against UC Davis (1-7). One of the team’s biggest issues all season will be frontcourt depth.

"He’s shooting a higher percentage, his turnovers are down, he’s not trying to do too much," Arnold said. "The key with Joston is we’ve gotta continue to put him in a position where he can be successful."

They also need him to play, period. Arnold demoted Thomas to a bench role after clashing in a preseason practice, saying afterward he needed Thomas to "be more of a team player."

Thomas seemed to get the message and spoke with a group-first mythos in the days following that episode heading into the regular-season opener. But some questionable shot selection in his spare minutes in the first few games — he’d often hoist from the perimeter with a hand in his face — meant his path to penitence was far from smooth.

"(Now) he’s finally thinking of himself as a big, strong man," assistant coach Scott Fisher said approvingly.

At his bull-rushing best, Thomas takes a pass from the short corner or high post and uses a single dribble to overpower his man going to the basket. And he’ll throw it down every chance he gets.

Even after starting the last three, Thomas averages 9.2 points in only 18.5 minutes per game. Foul trouble has contributed to it; he fouled out in four straight games before the 64-54 loss at Pacific on Tuesday.

Thomas’ fall from the coaches’ graces, and ensuing redemption, recalled an episode late last season. An outburst about his role led to his excusal from a road trip, only to have a repentant Thomas return for a bench job in the team’s final games of 2010-11.

The fiery Thomas, who averaged 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds as a sophomore, brushed off his past butting of heads with Arnold.

"Me and Coach are very one and the same. That’s why we clash sometimes. But Coach Gib is my guy, and I know that he likes me and he knows that I like him," Thomas said.

"Nothing as negative as it seems has happened," he continued. "I guess a lot of people from the outside looking in thinks that I’m just being a brat or something like that. It’s not. Me and him have some things to work on, with basketball and me outside the court. He wants the best for me and when somebody wants the best for you, they don’t settle for (mediocrity).

"I love him for it, because that’s what’s going to get me to the next level if I’m able to play at the next level."

The affection is mutual. Arnold is delving where few others have dared.

"It’s never been about talent. He just needs to continue working on being the best teammate he can," Arnold said. "I’m proud of him and I’m glad of what he’s doing and how hard he’s trying.

"It’s been an issue for him for quite some time with other teams, and I didn’t want him to go through his whole career with everybody he’s played with saying he’s not a good teammate. I want him to leave here with people saying, ‘He’s a good guy, great player and a great teammate.’ That’s what we’re working on."

The one-time hoops vagabond who calls Washington, D.C., home has rarely been in one place this long. Since arriving from the College of Southern Idaho, he’s found the island vibe a healthy one, combining it with basketball to act as his "venting station" for internal frustrations.

"Every day I wake up, you can’t look outside in Hawaii and be mad," Thomas said. "No matter what you going through, it’s calming. You step outside, see the bright sky. You look to your left, you see the ocean. Look to your right, you see the mountains."

It’s never too hard to get a read on what Thomas is feeling, making him a fan favorite in conjunction with his eagerness to dunk.

Just before tipoff at every home game, Thomas will venture to the far sideline, away from the team bench, and offer up a prayer to his late paternal grandmother. Then he’ll engage the fans with his trademark intense head nod and clap.

"The fans kind of caught on to it and they’re making it a ritual here. I don’t mind it, as long as the fans get going for tipoff," Thomas said. "I’ll get myself going."

That’s never been the issue.

The most vocal team captain, senior guard Zane Johnson, approved of Arnold’s early-season message.

"I think what Coach did with him at the beginning of the year was perfect because Joston needed it, and the fact that he’s bought into what Coach wants is the best for him too, because he’s playing great right now," Johnson said. "He’s playing within himself."

Now the Rainbow Warriors hope it pays off with wins.