Back in the August preseason, Hawaii football coach Nick Rolovich had to narrow down a wide pool of quarterbacks to a single starter.

UH hoops coach Eran Ganot now faces a similar situation.

The Rainbow Warriors will have a brand-new starting five for their Nov. 11 season opener against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Molding that lineup begins with finding a point guard.

Brocke Stepteau, Matt Owies and Sheriff Drammeh are the candidates to replace Roderick Bobbitt, one of the best two-way playmakers in UH basketball history.

“Point guards are the quarterback … of (basketball) teams,” Ganot said. “It’s always great when you have continuity, especially at that position. We clearly don’t have that. One of those guys (is) going to have to emerge.”

Each of the three options is inexperienced in his own way.

Stepteau is the longest-tenured UH player at the position as a third-year sophomore, but received only spot minutes as a deep reserve last year. Drammeh played the most of any active UH returnee, 13.4 minutes per game — but on the wing, not at point guard. And Owies, a lifelong point, is a true freshman getting adjusted to Division I.

“We all do things a little bit differently … definitely something that’s going to help the team do certain things better than others,” said Stepteau, a 5-foot-9 walk-on from Dallas. “It’s a unique situation, but we’re all real close. We all meet, watch film, get shots up. So you can’t ask for anything better than that, three guys trying to help this team win.”

A week into full practices, they’re all getting opportunities with a rotating cast of wings and bigs. There are no first or second groups yet.

But the sophomore Drammeh might have a slight edge right now, aided by his relative level of action under Ganot, including some big-game situations.

Drammeh, at a wiry 6-3, had all eyes on him in the Big West tournament when he climbed onto a Honda Center stanchion, straddled the rim and began cutting down a net unilaterally right after the Rainbow Warriors defeated Long Beach State for the championship.

He was told after the season to prepare to play point guard and did well there with his native Sweden in the U-20 FIBA European championships over the summer. This fall, he’s been one of the most demonstrative ’Bows, sometimes barking orders at the team’s 10 newcomers.

“I like having the ball in my hands,” said Drammeh, who had a pair of three-assist games last year. “I like being just a leader. I dunno, it just feels good. I think it’s hard getting used to it, since I didn’t have the ball in my hands a lot last year, but it’s coming along.”

Owies, a 6-footer from Australia, has extensive experience with the Melbourne Tigers club team. He also played for Australia’s FIBA U-17 silver-medal team in Dubai in 2014. He conducts himself as a pass-first, shoot-second point guard.

“Just being like old school, being able to lead a team, get everyone involved, just talk, get everyone in the right positions and just lead the team in that way,” Owies said. “If I can help out on defense by getting a steal or something like that, something like that helps pick up the team, I pride myself on that.”

That could win him points in trying to replace the Big West first-teamer Bobbitt, UH’s all-time steals leader (168) who was also fourth in assists (367).

Stepteau, meanwhile, registered three points and three assists (total) in spot minutes last year. Every practice the past two seasons, he went against two of the Big West’s best defensive guards in Bobbitt and Quincy Smith.

“When I’m getting pressure on the ball, I just learned so much from them,” Stepteau said. “Just … sitting back, even when I wasn’t in the game, watching how they make reads.”

The good news for UH is it still has five weeks before it plays an official game. Right now, Ganot is looking for leadership first and foremost.

“You have to be able to lead a huddle, another similarity with football,” he said. “When things are good or not so good, guys are going to look at you, and you’re gonna give them a sense of calm and composure about you. You’re on top of things. And so that’s why I say it’s the hardest position to play, it’s the most important position.”

Green &White game made official

UH made its public Green &White intrasquad scrimmage official for Oct. 22. Tip-off in the Stan Sheriff Center is at 1 p.m. and admission is free.

After that game, there will be an alumni game pitting about a dozen former ’Bows against each other.