By slowing down, Adhar Mayen is finally catching up to his teammates on the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team.

Mayen, a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, has emerged as a key reserve for the Rainbow Warriors in recent weeks. In Hawai'i's last game — an 85-79 road victory at San Jose State on Saturday — Mayen contributed eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes off the bench.

"Hopefully, that was a breakthrough performance for him," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "I think he proved that he's ready to play at this level, and we're not going to be afraid to use him."

Hawai'i, which is 5-9 overall and 1-1 in the Western Athletic Conference, will host Nevada (8-5, 0-0) in a WAC game on Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Mayen, who is in first season with the 'Bows, missed two weeks of training in October while awaiting clearance from school officials to practice. In an effort to make up for the lost time, Mayen admitted he was "rushing too much."

"Sitting out all those practices really pushed me down," he said. "I've been catching up the whole time."

Mayen said he did not become comfortable with the Hawai'i schemes until a few weeks ago.

"Before, I would just catch the ball and dribble," he said. "Now that I know the offense better, I can slow down and look for my options."

Nash said Mayen displayed improvement prior to the team's road trip last week, so the plan was to use him extensively in both games. However, Mayen did not even get in the game during the team's 86-80 loss at Utah State last Thursday.

"I wanted to get him in, but the game ended up being tight all the way, and we stuck with our experienced guys in there," Nash said. "So the San Jose State game, I made sure to get him in early, and he delivered."

Mayen is averaging just 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game for the season, so he realizes there is still much room for improvement — on the court and in the weight room.

Mayen, who transferred to UH from Hill College in Texas, started the season at 200 pounds, but is now down to 185.

"Junior college was a faster pace, but there are bigger and stronger guys in Division I," he said.

Nash said: "Adhar has all kinds of talent. I think he just lost his rhythm and lost some confidence early in the year after having to sit out. But he's getting up to speed now and we're confident he's going to help us the rest of the way."

NOTES

The Wolf Pack will not arrive in Honolulu until tomorrow because it is scheduled to play at San Jose State tonight. Nevada saw its WAC opener postponed due to a snowstorm in Reno, Nev., so today will be its first conference game.

Saturday's game is being marketed as Green & White Night, with the goal being to create an arena that looks half green and half white. Fans sitting behind the team benches are being encouraged to wear green shirts; fans facing the team benches are being encouraged to wear white. For a diagram of the plan, visit www.hawaiiathletics.com.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.