It was on Dec. 25, 2017, when the University of Hawaii basketball team experienced its Christmas future.

That day, Jerome Desrosiers came off the bench to score 10 points, hitting two key 3s, and grabbing four rebounds in 22 minutes to help Princeton defeat UH in the Diamond Head Classic. Three years later, UH coaches noticed Desrosiers, now a senior, had entered the transfer portal after the Ivy League decided to cancel its 2020-21 season because of the pandemic. Princeton usually limits a player to four years.

“You scout guys so hard when you go against them, and then you remember guys who hurt you,” UH coach Eran Ganot recalled.

The UH staff reached out to coaches they knew at the prep school Desrosiers attended and at Princeton. “People around him spoke so glowingly about him — his intelligence, his work ethic, his leadership,” Ganot said.

In February 2021, Desrosiers pledged to join the Rainbow Warriors as a graduate transfer. During fall training, 6-foot-8 Desrosiers — despite not playing in a game in two years and joining a new team — was selected as a tri-captain.

“I know it’s weird, but I think having the year off away from basketball made me realize how much I like basketball,” Desrosiers said. “So, it was a fun process to get back into it.”

Desrosiers worked his way into fit shape, and developed the inside game to play both power forward and center. When 6-9 center Bernardo da Silva suffered a hand injury, Desrosiers earned expanded minutes between the four and five. UH also went with a taller lineup with Desrosiers at the four and 6-10 Kamaka Hepa at the three. In each of the three games since da Silva returned, Desrosiers has recorded a double-double, a feat last accomplished by a UH player in 2014.

Desrosiers and da Silva have formed a growing bond. “The more games we play (together), the more we can figure each other out,” Desrosiers said. “It allows me to play the four a lot more.”

Ganot said Desrosiers is effective on 3-point shots, drives or post-up shots. He also has the awareness — and accuracy — on skip passes or lobs to cutters in the post. “Either way, he’s going to be inside-out for us,” Ganot said of Desrosiers at the four or five. “Either way, he’s a leader for us. We can play through him, and he can make decisions for us.”

Desrosiers will be counted on heavily for today’s road game against Cal State Bakersfield (6-6, 1-2 in Big West). After falling to Cal State Fullerton, the Roadrunners did not play again for 16 days because of COVID-19-related issues.

“We haven’t had the opportunity to practice that much,” CSUB coach Rod Barnes said. “Came off COVID (protocols), and we practiced one day, then we played.”

The Roadrunners lost to UC Riverside, 65-64, on Saturday, then beat Cal Poly, 73-60, on Tuesday. “We haven’t truly found our rhythm yet,” Barnes said. “Our kids are playing hard. We’re getting back into condition. We’re trying our best to have our best players out there at the end of the game. But I’d rather be making the adjustments than not playing at all.”

While the trend is to widen offenses, Barnes favors a drive-and-attack style. The Roadrunners have converted 4.3 3-pointers a game. The ’Bows average 9.7 treys per game.

“I play the percentages of the majority of our guys,” Barnes said. “We’re probably more effective from 15 (feet) and in than 3-point shooting. We believe what we believe in, and we’ve stuck with it. We’ve been somewhat successful with it.”

Barnes emphasizes crashing the offensive glass. In three Big West games, the Roadrunners are averaging 13.7 offensive boards and 16.0 second-chance points. This season, they have rebounded 35.8% of their missed shots.

“Offensive rebounding is something we think is effort, hard play and determination,” Barnes said. “That’s what we demand from our team, and we’ve been pretty good with it.”