One day, it's in Logan Lee's way; the next, it's Jason Carter's way.

"It means they're equal," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "I can't pick one over the other right now."

With the exhibition opener against Brigham Young-Hawai'i 10 days away, Carter and Lee are still waging daily battles in practice to earn the starting point guard position for the Rainbow Warriors.

And being equal does not mean being similar.

Lee is a 6-foot-2 sophomore of hapa descent — his father is Chinese, his mother Caucasian — with a no-nonsense approach to the game.

Carter is a 5-10 senior of hip-hop descent — both his arms are decorated with tattoos, one so vulgar that it has to be covered during televised games — with a catch-me-if-you-can approach to the game.

"I think the fact that we can bring different styles only makes the team stronger," said Lee, who averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 assists last season at South Plains College (Texas).

Carter, who averaged 4.5 points per game as a reserve with the 'Bows last season, added: "We're helping each other right now. It will be good to start, but I think we're both going to play a lot of minutes. The thing I learned is that it's not who starts, it's who finishes. Even if I don't start, I want to be the guy in there at the end."

Perhaps the only trait they share is a left-handed jump shot.

Lee is a crafty passer and rarely commits turnovers, but he is still trying to grasp UH's flex-motion offense. His style is similar to Mark Campbell, UH's starting point guard the last two seasons, but with perhaps more scoring potential.

"He's very talented, but the best thing is he's a sophomore and he can still develop," Wallace said. "He still has a long way to go."

Carter has a 41-inch vertical jump, quick hands, and dazzling dribbling skills. From a fan's perspective, Carter led the team in excitement per minute in his limited time on the court last season. From Wallace's perspective, Carter led the team in turnovers per minute.

"I told him at the end of last year that he needed to get rid of that street game if he wanted to become good in our game," Wallace said. "And to his credit, he's playing a lot more under control this year. I think he's realizing that he can be a really good player in our system as long as he stays in the system."

Carter added: "I grew up playing with guys my speed. I'm changing my game now, but it's been hard. Even when I think I'm slowing it down, they say I'm going too fast."

From the start of practices on Oct. 18, Lee and Carter have been playing each other to a standstill.

Of Carter, Lee says: "Man, the guy is quick. You have to stay on him every second on the floor or he'll blow right by you."

Of Lee, Carter says: "The first time I played him, I knew I had to pull out all the stops. He's tough, and he's quicker than he looks."

Wallace said his plan three weeks ago was to award the starting spot to the player who could string together three consecutive days better than the other. So far, neither has been able to separate from the other for more than two days in a row.

"That's a good thing," Wallace said. "The way it's going right now, they both will play equal minutes."

In recent practices, Wallace has even been experimenting with Lee and Carter in the same lineup.

Carter was a two-year starter at shooting guard at Barton County Community College (Kan.) prior to enrolling at UH .

"I'm actually more comfortable at (shooting guard)," Carter said. "But I'll do anything to play."

• English drafted: Former UH star guard Carl English was selected in the second round — the 11th player overall — of the 2003 National Basketball Development League (NBDL) Draft yesterday. There were 10 rounds in all.

English, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, was the second pick of the Charleston Lowgators.

"The fact that he was among the top players drafted shows that they value his skill level and that teams were aware of him," said English's agent, Harold Cipin.

English was one of the final players cut by the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 26. He was not selected in the NBA Draft in June, but signed with Indiana as a free agent.

Last week, he signed a one-year contract with the NBDL. The league consists of six teams, and is endorsed by the NBA. Players in the NBDL can be called up by NBA teams at any time during the season.

Charleston will play its first game Nov. 28.