The dichotomy of Leland Green was recently summed up by noted basketball scholar Eran Ganot.

Ganot, Hawaii’s basketball coach, cycled through a few descriptions of the freshman shooting guard before going with, “He’s quiet at times and his game is very loud.”

It’s hard to come up with a better assessment of Green, a largely unknown player (outside of diehard UH athletics circles) until recent events conspired in the form of a 25-point game against Long Beach State, followed up with a game-winning 3-pointer against Cal State Northridge during the Rainbow Warriors’ recent five-game homestand.

Because of his suddenly smooth 3-point stroke and other all-around contributions, he’ll be a prominent mention in the opposing scouting report as UH (9-11, 3-4 Big West) searches for its first road win of the season this week in contests Thursday at UC Riverside (6-12, 4-3) and Saturday at CSUN (9-12, 5-3).

That’s going to take some getting used to for the Los Angeles native.

“Growing up I was always that kid that everybody always overlooked,” said the 6-foot-3 Green. “Always had to fight my way to the top, always had to put in extra work so I’d be able to do the things that people see me do.”

The reason, he surmised, is “probably because I’m a quiet guy, and probably, I don’t know what it is, really.”

Something else stood out about “Lee” (his preferred nickname) upon his arrival back in the fall: his chiseled physique.

“He didn’t look like a freshman at all,” point guard Brocke Stepteau said. “He’s stronger than me. He’s stronger than a lot of the guys on the team and he’s like 18 years old.”

Green looked the part on the court, too. He showed off a confident 3-point shot in the preseason, an unexpected development; his perimeter game was considered his main drawback during recruiting, but it was an area he dedicated to improving.

“He’s never satisfied,” said assistant John Montgomery, his position coach.

Green was in the starting lineup from the get-go, but the speed of Division I ball proved quite a jump from his days at Redondo Union High. His shot wavered and he found himself in frequent foul trouble for being out of position — “thinking too much,” per Montgomery. He averaged just 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13 nonconference games.

So he went back to work, just as he would hit the gym on high school weeknights and be mindful of his diet while others were having a good time.

“You tend to worry about young guys, especially when they’re struggling,” Ganot said. “But because of his approach, nothing ever fazed him.”

In seven games of conference play, he’s Hawaii’s minutes leader (32.6), second-leading scorer (11.9 ppg) and most efficient 3-point shooter (12-for-31, 38.7 percent), while grabbing 4.6 boards. He draws the toughest perimeter defensive assignment.

Confidence shows

His soaring confidence was evident in a 22-point win last Saturday against UC Santa Barbara. With the seconds ticking down in the first half, he hit a step-back jumper right at the buzzer.

“Coming into college I kind of wanted to get away from the step-backs and behind (the back) dribbles,” said Green, who worked on it before the previous game. “I came back to it and it looked great. It worked.”

As he described the play, the faintest smile played across his face. It vanished as quickly as it appeared.

For that personality trait, Ganot has more than once compared him to San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard, who is known for highlight-reel plays without the sound bites to match.

“Leland’s always been very mellow, very humble kid, very quiet,” said his mother, Letecia, a former softball and track and field athlete who would run her young son through defensive drills. “He’d be the one in the classroom you’d never even know he’s there. The mouse in the corner.”

Cheering squad

Green said his mother and grandmother will be among the loudest fans at this week’s road games. He called Letecia, a human resources employee at Kaiser Permanente, “Superwoman.”

“My mom is my role model,” Green said. “Every day I would just see how she got up, every morning to go to work. Even though she was tired, sick, in pain from working, working out, I (saw) her get up and fight through it. I try to do the same. She always raised me to try to be a respectful kid.”

Even after his scoring outburst vs. LBSU — the most by a UH freshman since Isaac Fotu scored 29 against Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 3, 2013 — and game-winning corner 3 vs. CSUN, Green still feels he’s below the radar.

Then he hinted at a drive for greatness simmering just under the surface.

“I mean, I still feel people are overlooking me,” he said, “because people don’t really know who I am yet. But soon people will know.”