That was made clear during the annual Midnight 'Ohana early yesterday morning at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Around 3,500 fans stayed up to watch the unveiling of the 2003-04 UH basketball teams. Midnight yesterday was the earliest possible time that NCAA basketball teams could begin practicing for the upcoming season.

"What this does is get everybody excited for the season — the fans, the players, the coaches, everybody," said UH senior forward Phil Martin. "This is a tradition. It's something unique to Hawai'i and it's fun to be a part of."

The big man trio of 6-foot-10 Haim Shimonovich, 6-9 Julian Sensley and 6-8 Martin were the top performers in the men's intrasquad scrimmage.

In addition to the scrimmage, there were amusing player introductions for both the men's and women's teams, a slam-dunk contest for the men, and a men's vs. women's 3-point shootout.

The theme of the night was "Time to Rock" and it took on special meaning for:

• Shimonovich, the senior center who had game highs of 14 points and eight rebounds to lead the White to a 39-35 victory over the Green.

"If we can average that for the year, we'll be in good shape," UH head coach Riley Wallace said of Shimonovich's statistics.

Earlier in the week, Shimonovich was the No. 1 draft choice for the scrimmage by associate coach Jackson Wheeler and guest coach Trevor Ruffin.

"I know there is a lot expected of me this year," Shimonovich said. "And I want to do better."

• Sensley, the highly-touted recruit who made his debut as a Rainbow Warrior last night.

The sophomore forward and former Kalaheo High standout had 12 points and five rebounds for the winning White squad. His first basket of the night came on a driving dunk; his second was a 3-pointer from the wing.

"I thought Julian showed what skills he's got and how he can pass the ball really well, too," Wallace said.

Sensley said: "Got a little bit of jitters, but once you step on the court, it goes away. Right after that, I felt right at home — felt like I was back in Kalaheo days.

• Martin, who led the losing Green squad with eight points.

"As you can see, we have a lot of guys who can do a lot of things," he said. "It's going to be an exciting season."

• Jason Carter, a 5-10 senior guard who dazzled the crowd with his 40-inch jumping ability during the slam-dunk contest.

Carter completed two spectacular dunks to easily win the event, which was judged by the fans. The other three dunkers — Sensley, Martin and Jeff Blackett, are all about a foot taller than Carter.

• April Atuaia, the lone senior on the Wahine roster who brought the crowd to its feet by winning the 3-point contest. She out-shot Jake Sottos of the men's team, 21-13.

• The entire roster of Rainbow Warriors and Wahine, who dressed up as "rock stars" during the introductions.

Among the best costumes were Milia Macfarlane as Cher, Janevia Taylor as Tina Turner, and Blackett, Sottos and Logan Lee as the rock group Guns n Roses.

"In the beginning, you think it's a drag, but when you see the excitement in the crowd, you get excited, too," Shimonovich said.

Wallace and UH women's coach Vince Goo, drove to midcourt in a DeLorean for their introductions as part of a "Back to the Future" skit.

Several former 'Bows attended the event, including Andre Morgan, Dwight Holiday, Tes Whitlock and Kalia McGee.