One of the more interesting sights in the University of Hawaii basketball team’s victory over Alabama A&M on Saturday night didn’t exactly fit the description of on-court action.

It was Sheriff Drammeh deigning to take a towel and wipe off a basketball for the referee.

It was, nevertheless, instructive, as Drammeh, newly paroled from a stretch in coach Eran Ganot’s doghouse over the holiday games, looked like somebody intent on making the best impression wherever he could.

Drammeh had started six consecutive games until being suspended for one game, the Mississippi Valley State contest, for what was termed by Ganot as “violation of team rules.”

Thereafter, Drammeh, a senior who had been UH’s leading returning scorer (10.7 points per game) and one of its best perimeter defenders coming into this season, had been pretty much tethered to the bench for three consecutive games.

A three-minute, non-scoring cameo appearance against Nevada-Las Vegas in the Diamond Head Classic had been his only reprieve until Saturday.

So when he was summoned from the bench with 14 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in a game tied at 43 with Alabama A&M, Drammeh set about trying to earn his way back into good graces and the starting lineup however and wherever he could.

Drammeh made the most of his 12 minutes of court time, scoring seven key points, handing out two assists, hauling down two rebounds and managing a steal. And, of course, drawing a trademark charging foul. There was only a lane violation on a missed free throw that gave the Bulldogs another opportunity to mar his slate.

Whatever point from the fracturing of “team rules” Ganot had sought to make to the free-spirited Drammeh had apparently found its target for this night. And the Stan Sheriff Center crowd applauded Drammeh’s awaited return.

Give Ganot credit for not waffling on the rules he has laid out for his team, no matter the player — even one who had seemed to be one of his favorites.

The ’Bows had shown they could win against some pretty good competition, Colorado and Rhode Island, without him, if need be.

This team isn’t the most talented in the Big West Conference and, as we have seen in the nonconference games of the 9-5 start to date, their best shot at winning on any given night is by playing together, with commitment and within their defined roles. Which means being on the same page, whether it be from the playbook or the manual on team rules.

Some of that focus appeared to have escaped Drammeh on occasions, and as the Rainbow Warriors prepare to head into the crucial Big West juncture of their season. So this became an opportune time to underline the point to all concerned by a coach who tends to display little of his corrective measures publicly.

In coming off the bench against the Bulldogs, Drammeh brought much-needed energy as well as some flair and his familiar antics. After burying a 3-pointer from the left corner, he blew on his hands. After following with another moments later, he gestured to the crowd.

With nine days until the Rainbow Warriors’ next game, the Jan. 9 Big West opener against Cal State Fullerton, there is ample time to put the doghouse in the rear-view mirror and lessons learned into practice.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.