Every kid with a basketball and a rim, it seems, has played the countdown game.

With an imaginary clock as an inner metronome — “4 … 3 … 2 … 1 …” — a winning shot is launched as the “crowd” goes wild.

“I think every basketball player has done that at some point in his life,” Hawaii point guard JoVon McClanahan said. “Count down and just shoot it, and hopefully you can make those crazy buzzer-beaters.”

Last Christmas in the championship game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, before a real-life crowd of 5,279 in the Stan Sheriff Center and a national television audience, McClanahan sank a 3 as the final horn sounded on a 58-57 victory over SMU.

“That was one of those magic moments,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “Everything kind of aligned. Christmas Day. Buzzer-beater. Dad in the stands. That’s what’s great about this game in conjunction with this tournament. Every day, every game, start of the year, middle of the year, end of the year, something amazing can happen. You’ve got to be prepared for that.”

Sportscaster Rob DeMello noted that McClanahan’s shot was his “trampoline” moment. McClanahan was averaging 7.8 points on 38% shooting before the buzzer-beater. After that, he averaged 13.4 points on 43.2% shooting the rest of the 2022-23 season.

This season against Central Arkansas, McClanahan drained an off-balance shot as time expired in the first half.

“That was another crazy moment I wasn’t expecting,” McClanahan said. “But I guess ‘Manoa magic,’ as some say. I guess when the shot clock goes down, some special super powers come out of me and I make shots like that.”

Entering Thursday’s opening round against Portland in this year’s Diamond Head Classic, the 5-foot-10 McClanahan has become an aggressive point defender, skilled navigator on ball screens, and a confident shooter.

“He’s a believer,” Ganot said. “He’s got a look of confidence. And that’s spread to the team. I say sometimes it starts with him. His fight. His belief. His confidence. You could see that.”

Ganot said those traits were apparent, even when recruiting McClanahan during a pandemic. Because of travel precautions in 2020, McClanahan, who was at Wyoming’s Sheridan College, communicated with the UH coaches through Zoom meetings. McClanahan committed to UH before taking a recruiting trip.

During training that summer, players wore masks and practiced in small groups. And while he struggled with his usually dependable outside shooting, McClanahan showed leadership early. During the 2021-22 season, his second with the ’Bows, McClanahan missed 17 of his first 18 shots from behind the arc. But he rebounded to make 21 of his next 48 3-point shots — 43.8% — to close the season.

“He’s added to his game, added to his growth,” Ganot said. “But at the heart of it all, he’s a believer. Those are the kind of guys you want in your program.”

And McClanahan is seeking a hana hou to last year’s tournament title. “Us being defending champions, we want to hold our head on that,” McClanahan said. “Just being ready for Portland, that’s all we can control.”

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NCAA BASKETBALL

At SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center

Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic

>> When: Thursday’s quarterfinals: Nevada vs. Temple, 10 a.m.; TCU vs. Old Dominion, noon; Georgia Tech vs. UMass, 4 p.m.; Hawaii vs. Portland, 6 p.m.

>> TV: ESPN

>> Radio: 1420-AM, 92.7 FM (Hawaii games)