The dressing-down came as a wake-up call to someone used to being his own toughest critic.

Hawaii was lined up for a preseason basketball conditioning drill when coach Eran Ganot singled out forward Jack Purchase and, in no uncertain terms, berated him for his rebounding deficiencies in front of teammates and a handful of onlookers.

“There was a session where Coach ripped me,” Purchase said. “He said how I have to get tougher. I have to average more than two rebounds or something. I was like, ‘Shoot, yeah, I do.’ He was right. I agree with him and took that on. It stuck with me a little bit when he said that.”

Ganot, when prodded, smiled at the memory.

“I exaggerated a little bit to make a point,” Ganot said of his Australian stretch forward’s shortcomings. “He hit this wall at that stretch and he had this one demon, in terms of conditioning, he couldn’t fight through. There was a moment I let it out, because he needed to make that next breakthrough.”

The 6-foot-9 Purchase, despite some dramatic variance in his outside shooting from game to game, has become a more well-rounded player for the Rainbow Warriors. He has contributed 7.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and a team-high 28 3-pointers made this season.

The junior has helped UH (13-5, 4-1 Big West) rebound from a loss in its first conference game to win four straight, allowing it to enjoy the pole position at an early stage. There are still 11 regular-season games to go before the Big West tournament, including Saturday’s 8 p.m. contest against Cal State Fullerton.

Purchase is fully aware of the challenges that await if the team is to stay at the pinnacle.

“I still think we’re underdogs. I think we still got a lot to prove,” Purchase said. “There’s teams out there that don’t think we should be (on) top and they’re all coming for us. So we gotta keep fighting, showing up and proving everyone wrong.”

Sometimes, like his 21-point effort in Saturday’s 77-72 win over UC Davis, the Australian has been at the forefront of their success. Other times, he’s gone scoreless. But when his shot isn’t falling, he’s made it a point to get others points through his uncommon passing ability at his position and, now, by being passable on the glass.

In six fewer minutes per game than he logged last year, Purchase is averaging nearly a full rebound more off the bench.

Purchase, who idolizes the Utah Jazz’s crafty Australian forward Joe Ingles, still loves the pass most of all. He leads the team in assist-to-turnover ratio at better than 2-to-1.

“He plays a much tougher game now than he used to,” co-captain Gibson Johnson said. “With his rebounding, how he’s getting inside, I think his toughness has really shown through and it’s helped us a ton. There’s been countless plays where Jack’s gotten an offensive rebound, then automatically found a pass to an assist. That toughness has elevated us.”

Most of the time, Purchase carries an Aussie’s easy demeanor into battle. But when it comes time to dish displeasure, he does it with relish — or, maybe more aptly for the Melbourne native, vegemite.

His 31.1 percent 3-point shooting this season rates poor by his standard, though he’s converted better than 40 percent since the first seven games. He’s at an even 100 3s made in a UH uniform, just outside the career top 10.

Purchase never masks when he takes himself to task.

“I think it’s something I’ve actually gotten better at,” he said, “because back in the day, I used to have, I don’t think it’s a bad attitude, but I really want to win. … I feel like if I’m stuffing up, I’m letting the team down, I’m letting the coaches down, letting the fans down. That’s why sometimes I get frustrated with myself, because I know I can do better.”

At the same time, Ganot credited him for being “one of the best teammates” he’s coached, constantly picking up others. He helped organize the “Hawaii 5-O” bench mob antics two years ago.

Purchase’s father, Nigel, a 10-year professional of Australia’s NBL, visited during the Diamond Head Classic to help his son work his way through some of his shooting woes. His half-full outlook helped.

“He sees things a bit different from how I see them,” Purchase said. “If I think I’m doing something bad, he says, ‘Nah, you’re not actually that bad. You’re overthinking stuff.’ ”

Sometimes, it’s better to leave the tough love for your coach.