An easy way to remember the pronunciation of Ahmet Gueye's last name is that it rhymes with key.

This, of course, has not been a problem for University of Hawai'i men's basketball coaches who know only too well that Gueye is one of the keys to the Rainbow Warriors winning games like tonight's meeting at 7 with Boise State at the Stan Sheriff Center.

If he is playing his defined role — double-figure scoring, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots— chances are there is an appreciative chant of "Gueye! Gueye!" rising from the home stands and a victory on the scoreboard.

Just how much the 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward/center from Senegal via Salt Lake (Utah) Community College means to the 'Bows and their fate this season has been underlined by recent events.

When he is "missing in action" as UH coach Riley Wallace has put it, the already thinned 'Bows struggle significantly, witness losses against Pennsylvania and New Mexico State. And, when Gueye is on his game, the way he was against Fresno State on Saturday, he is capable of helping turn the tide in a hurry.

Rarely has that been more evident than in the 3-minute, 35-second span of the second half where his eight points contributed in lifting UH from a 40-38 deficit to a 48-43 edge — and a lead it never lost.

Whether he is swatting down shots, arching a baby hook shot or even firing a rare one from 15 feet and dominating defensive rebounds, all of which he did in a well-rounded 5-minute span on the way to 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots in the win over the Bulldogs, he has given the 9-6 (3-2 WAC) 'Bows a valuable presence inside. One that complements what the other starting junior college transfer, Matt Lojeski, has provided from the outside.

Just how valuable — and fragile — Gueye himself came to understand last week when speculation was rife that he would lose his season-long starting job for the current homestand. After one double-figure scoring game in the previous four heading into the Fresno State game, Wallace was considering changes.

But if Gueye was struggling, as he has said, to find his focus in the dizzying whirl of Division I basketball, balancing academics and basketball amid that time zone jetting Western Athletic Conference brand of travel, he found it again.

"Nobody said anything to me; it was all rumor," Gueye said. "But when somebody gives you a challenge, like maybe you might not start, it means you haven't been playing the way you used to play," Gueye said. "So it kind of helps motivate you to help out the team more. (Chris) Botez and I both want to help the team, so whoever starts isn't the most important thing.

"If I need to come off the bench, I'll do that, But I knew I wasn't as helpful in the post as I had been, so I had to gain my physicality back and help my teammates," Gueye said.

That he did with a vengeance reminding once again that, for the 'Bows, Gueye is a key to success.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.