For University of Hawai'i basketball player Bobby Nash, this is, indeed, the season to be jolly.

With final exams behind him, the two-time all-Western Athletic Conference Academic All-Star likes to say, "you don't have to worry about school, you don't have to worry about anything else. (There's) just giving gifts ... and playing basketball."

And, last night, Nash was able to neatly wrap both in one dynamic package.

With career-highs in points (22), rebounds (11) and probably ferocity, the redshirt junior helped give the Rainbow Warriors an end to a rare two-game home non-conference losing streak and a push start into Wednesday's opening round of the 43rd Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic with an 89-78 win over Northwestern State.

"It was," head coach Riley Wallace would say later, "a good night for Bobby, probably the best night of his career." And not a moment too soon for the Rainbow Warriors, who had lost 3 of their last 4 games in a 4-4 start.

You knew things would be different about three minutes into this one when, on his second basket, a putback off a rebound, Nash punctuated it, thrusting his right arm into the air on his way back down court. The gesture stirred the Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,497 and served as a statement of intent for Nash, who scored 12 points in a 23-5 opening run.

What Nash did in the course of his 36 minutes was remarkable enough but where he did much of the damage, from the power forward position, was even more significant. The 6-foot-6 Nash, heretofore primarily a guard, hit from the corner and top of the key, making good on 3 of 4 3-point attempts. And, he stepped inside to turn back Luke Rogers' penetration and gather a game-high in rebounds.

But you didn't have to be his father, assistant coach Bob Nash, who holds the UH rebounding records for single game (30) and season (361), sitting on the bench to appreciate the effort.

"Watching him grow up you wondered if he would ever be as mean (on the boards) as his father was," recalled former UH coach Larry Little (1976-85), who is vacationing here. "'Cause his father was pretty mean. This should give (Bobby's) confidence a boost."

It did not do much, however, for another long-time family friend, Mark Slessinger of Northwestern State. Slessinger, who ran the Demons when head coach Mike McConathy got ejected in the second half, has known the Nash family for more than a decade, watching Bobby grow up, providing an occasional pointer and pat on the back.

"I was happy to see his development; to see how far he's come and how the redshirt year helped him," Slessinger said. "You'd like to see him do well. I did mind that he had to do it against us."

Whether it was a breakthrough of sorts remains to be seen. All in all, Wallace said, "That should make his father, Bob, proud."

But, then, as Bobby says, 'tis the season for basketball and gift-giving.

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