It’s a sign of the times that on senior night for the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team none of the three players celebrated were actually seniors, at least when it comes to basketball eligibility.

It’s probably not uncommon around the country, as the pandemic created havoc with who has how many years left to play.

Junior Madut’s just a junior. So is Mate Colina. But they’re both set to graduate in May and plan to move on to professional opportunities. Jerome Desrosiers is a graduate student who played just one season here, and hopes to get a ruling in his favor that will allow another.

All three have made significant impacts on an injury-riddled but winning Rainbow Warriors season. On Saturday, their numbers weren’t overwhelming in UH’s 62-50 victory over Cal State Bakersfield. But as it has been for the ’Bows this year, everyone’s contribution has been needed, and all three stepped up at various key times.

They’re 2-0 now after leading scorer Noel Coleman’s season-ending eye injury last week. Of course it helped that this week’s opponents were Big West bottom-feeders Cal Poly and the Roadrunners, who have more often been roadkill in a 2-11 conference season.

If there were a stat for combined 3-point plays per game — the old-fashioned “and-1” kind under the bucket, plus the long-range bombs — Desrosiers might be at the top of the list.

He made one of each to get the ’Bows off to a 6-2 start Saturday. He was quiet in the scoring column after that — until he was most needed, with another traditional basket-and-a-free-throw that gave UH the lead it would keep, 47-44 with 6:34 left to play.

The foul was by Shawn Stith, who looks like he should be playing left tackle in the NFL.

Colina, the 7-footer who leads the current ’Bows with 90 career games, made just his seventh start of the season. It took him a while to get going. But when he did, it was memorable.

With 6:24 left in the first half, Colina went hard to the basket, and CSUB’s Cameron Smith was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Colina made just one of the two ensuing free throws, but a statement was made about which team would own the low post the rest of the game, even though Colina played just 15 minutes.

On paper, Madut is this team’s most consistent player over the past two seasons. In 2020-21, he averaged 10.5 points and 4.2 rebounds. This year those numbers were 10.4 and 4.0 entering Saturday’s game.

In reality, he’s the most exciting of the Rainbows, even when he’s doing something that doesn’t get the desired result — like when he tried to go coast-to-coast the first time he got his hands on the ball Saturday. It didn’t work out, but it’s the kind of play you cut a guy some slack for on senior night.

It took four key free throws down the stretch that helped seal the win, but Madut did hit his average and scored 10 points.

Like Desrosiers, Madut has filled in wherever he’s been needed game-to-game, like shapeshifting puzzle pieces.

They’re not guards, forwards or centers, they’re basketball players.

And they and Colina aren’t seniors. But it certainly was their night.