Years from now, a sports archivist might glance over the deeds of the 2015-16 Hawaii basketball team, nod knowingly, then continue down the list to more recent editions of Rainbow Warriors to accomplish great things.

Maybe the remarkable circumstances of that team’s success would be mentioned in a bullet point. Or perhaps context faded over time.

This much is known: In the here and now, a little over two months since the NCAA-embattled ’Bows busted NCAA brackets to cap the winningest season in program history, their hero status is just about unassailable.

Greatest basketball team in UH history? Some say yes. Some might debate it — the 24-3 Fabulous Five team of 1971-72 comes to mind — but this 28-6 Big West championship outfit is certainly right there after knocking off Cal 77-66 and reaching the round of 32. Two days later, in front of a rollicking throng of ti-leaf-waving, green-clad fans in Spokane, Wash., the 13th-seeded ’Bows were game against a more talented Maryland team before yielding a big second-half run in a 73-60 loss.

Two months later, Eran Ganot could finally take a breath and speak to what the season meant.

“It was challenging and rewarding,” said Ganot, the one-time UH assistant who came back from Saint Mary’s to be a 33-year-old rookie head coach. “It was a heck of a journey. It started from Day 1.”

That’s when he took his nearly full roster of inherited players aside prior to his introductory press conference: April 9, 2015. Very tentatively, he started to make inroads with a group that had every reason to distrust their latest leader coming off two turbulent coaching changes.

Eh-ron who?

There were problems, both of the on- and off-court varieties. Academic problems, drug issues and a general lack of discipline. Self-imposed penalties that gave way to much stiffer NCAA punishment at midseason.

“I had a slight grasp,” Ganot said of his knowledge of what he was walking into. “I have a great grasp now.”

No question, he had a talented group to work with: point guard Roderick Bobbitt, the reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year who broke the UH single-season steals record the year before; Stefan Jankovic, the 6-foot-11 big man with the sweet stroke; Aaron Valdes, the high-flying wingman; and Isaac Fleming, talented and talkative in equal measure.

Ganot and his young staff gradually got through to them with a team-first mantra, and the group that thrived off collective reckless abandon the year before increasingly bought into the idea of being coached. The players were able to keep some elements of their games intact in the new four-out, one-in system. There were sacrifices, too. In particular, Jankovic accepted playing in the post for stretches, a move that benefited him and his teammates in the long run.

UH had four bona fide scorers, plus role players who could step up on various nights.

“It’s difficult to have a core returning, and a new staff, a third new coach or whatever,” Ganot said. “But both groups were not stubborn. … It was all about how can we do our best. We found a balance.”

Things came together on Dec. 22, the first day of the nationally televised Diamond Head Classic. That’s when the NCAA magnanimously handed out its punishment from its months-long investigation of UH and ex-coach Gib Arnold.

The verdict was severe: a postseason ban in 2016-17 and two docked scholarships for the next two years, among other things.

Instead of despairing, UH rallied in front of an emotional crowd to beat eventual NCAA Tournament team Northern Iowa. It nearly did the same the next day against Oklahoma, which would make the Final Four.

“That’s one of the moments for me I’ll never forget,” Ganot said. “A lot of teams could’ve folded there.”

When the going got toughest, the team’s toughness showed out. UH never lost consecutive games; for each of its five midseason defeats, the ’Bows responded with a winning streak. At 16-2, they were off to one of the best starts in program history.

Home losses against Long Beach State and UC Riverside in Big West play could’ve proved costly — and in those moments the defeats loomed large — but instead had the effect of sharpening focus for when things mattered most. UH harnessed its finely honed ability to channel adversity and claimed a share of first place in conference for just the third time in program history. A payback win against LBSU in the Big West title game was in order, too.

Co-captains Quincy Smith and Mike Thomas grew into leadership roles as the season progressed, helping maintain order when the team’s more erratic personalities needed reining in. Jankovic and Bobbitt in particular made offensive leaps.

When a dissatisfied Fleming — who’d helped UH to some key road victories — left the team prior to its run through the Big West tournament and NCAAs, it raised external alarm. Internally, no one panicked. The “Big Three” of Jankovic, Bobbitt and Valdes were ready to carry the load and freshman Sheriff Drammeh took charge of taking charges.

The ’Bows enjoyed some of their best success when one of that group was out with injury or illness, winning their first 11 games in which they missed a key rotation player. They finished the year 15-2 in those games, including 5-2 in the last seven without Fleming, embracing Ganot’s oft-used “next man up, every man up” mantra.

The memorable march run in Anaheim, Calif., then Spokane, Wash., drew widespread attention and praise from back home. Upon their return, the Rainbow Warriors — including their popular “Hawaii 5-O” bench unit — were received by Gov. David Ige at the State Capitol, as was UH’s conference-champion women’s hoops team.

“You could feel morale, you could feel people coming back and supporting the program, and for the right reasons. And that was exciting,” Ganot said, comparing the feeling to watching UH football’s Sugar Bowl run of 2007. “To see the spirits uplifted, to see people excited, was very rewarding.”

Adversity, as it turned out, was simply deferred. UH still had to deal with the reality of its upcoming sanctions, which will remain barring a last-gasp appeal that has yet to be resolved. Piece by piece, UH’s championship team broke up: Bobbitt, Smith and Sai Tummala exhausted their eligibility; juniors Jankovic and Valdes declared for the pro ranks; Fleming and Stefan Jovanovic found homes at other Division I schools; and Niko Filipovich decided to call it a career.

It left UH with a black hole to fill in recruiting for next season. Seven of UH’s top eight scorers from its title team are gone; only Thomas remains as a starter.

Ganot, for the first time tasked with constructing a roster from near scratch — with one hand tied behind his back thanks to the sanctions — resolved to tackle the situation with his relentlessly positive outlook.

“It always starts with your approach,” he said. “I always talk about, focus on the things you can control. Tackle things head on, no excuses. You gotta love a challenge, embrace it. Embrace it as an opportunity, versus laying down. We’re going to battle.”

UH has signed six for next season and has two scholarships remaining. The Rainbows are in need of significant size at a relatively late stage.

During countless gut-check moments during that season, Ganot would look into his players’ eyes during a road huddle and see sheer belief. Thus, he started calling the group “The Believers.”

Well, now he’s taken a page from his players. In the face of the challenges to come … he believes.

“A happy ending for all the things this group has been going through was to make it to the end, not to take it up a notch,” Ganot said. “I mean, these guys wanted more. They kept wanting more. That’s great to see. To make it to the NCAA Tournament, to then win a game in the NCAA Tournament, especially with the adversity, I think this team will be remembered forever.”

2015-16 RAINBOW WARRIORS SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

» First NCAA Tournament victory

» Program-record 28 wins

» First Big West regular-season & tournament championships

» Program-best 7-1 conference road record

» 2 Stan Sheriff Center sellouts (Long Beach State, Cal State Northridge)

» Led BWC in points per game (77.1), assists per game (15.4), rebound margin (plus-4.3); steals per game (7.6)

» Eran Ganot: Big West Coach of the Year

» Stefan Jankovic: Big West Player of the Year; First-team All-BWC; AP All-America honorable mention

» Roderick Bobbitt: First-team All-BWC; UH career steals leader (168); No. 4 in UH career assists (367)

» Aaron Valdes: Second-team All-BWC; No. 18 in UH career scoring (975 points)

SEASON LEADERS

» Scoring: Stefan Jankovic, 15.6 ppg (516 points)

» Rebounding: Jankovic, 6.6 rpg (218 rebounds)

» Assists: Roderick Bobbitt, 5.5 apg (180 assists)

» Steals: Bobbitt, 2.1 spg (68 steals)

» Blocks: Jankovic, 1.2 bpg (40 blocks)

» 3-point field goals: Bobbitt, 1.7 3FG/game

» Field-goal percentage: Jankovic, .543 (172-for-317)

» 3-point percentage: Sai Tummala, .394 (43-for-109)

» Free-throw percentage: Bobbitt, .801 (129-for-161)