Job hunting got pretty intense at Hawaii men’s basketball practice on Thursday.

At least three starting positions are up for grabs for the 2014-15 Rainbow Warriors, and players played like they were going to be handed out right then and there in the Stan Sheriff Center, crowing after big shots and defensive stops alike.

Alas, UH coach Gib Arnold is in no rush to set his pecking order.

UH’s two returning starters, senior shooting guard Garrett Nevels and junior power forward Isaac Fotu, figure to keep their jobs. But even that is not automatic.

"I think Fotu and Nevels, it’s their jobs to lose. You know, they’ve proven it," Arnold said, adding he hasn’t set a timetable for designating specific five-man units. "If you’re putting a starting lineup in, you start with those two. But, they can lose it if they don’t produce.

"The other three are pretty wide open, and I want it to be competitive. And Nevels’ and Fotu’s jobs, I want them to aggressively go after them as well."

Point guard remains one of the biggest questions in the wake of Keith Shamburger’s early departure.

Junior Quincy Smith, junior Roderick Bobbitt, true freshman Isaac Fleming and redshirt freshman Niko Filipovich are the primary candidates.

Filipovich carried himself like a veteran on Thursday, communicating loudly in halfcourt 5-on-5 drills — often at the other team. It seemed to raise the competitive fire of the entire group a few notches.

"I like when we get at each other and start competing," said Bobbitt, a transfer from Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College. "We know we’re all just trying to make each other better, don’t take things personal. You know Niko’s going to try to play defense hard every time he comes out, so he’s going to try to get under your skin. … I think the battles have been pretty good so far."

Much is also to be decided in the frontcourt, which lost all-conference forward Christian Standhardinger and reserve Davis Rozitis to graduation. Big men Fotu, Stefan Jankovic and Sammis Reyes have been limited and slowed by various injuries, which has had the effect of forcing two of UH’s primary candidates at small forward, Negus Webster-Chan and Aaron Valdes, to play out of position in practices.

Thus, point guard has been the position to watch to this point. And it’s the spot on the floor Arnold, a former point guard, considers "the most important."

"That’s trial by fire, and I’ve got three or four of them right now that I really like how they’re playing and I like how they’re competing," the coach said. "It’s going to be a tough decision. (We could) play two point guards at once, because I really like the group a lot."

Bobbitt arrived with the reputation of a combo guard, but has his sights set on the role of primary ballhandler. He averaged 15.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the NJCAA national runner-up before breaking his arm in the JUCO playoffs.

"I do want to be the starting point guard," the 6-foot-3 native of Oakland, Calif., said. "I feel like I fit for that position. That’s what I thought before I came out here."