Center Stephen Verwers lost his starting job with the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team last week.

But it can be reliably reported that he lost none of his nerve.

The 6-foot-11, 255-pound post player that assistant coach Bob Nash dubbed "Bam Bam" for his propensity to bang — and get banged — on the court, came off the bench with a punishing purpose last night to help propel the Rainbow Warriors into tonight's championship game of the 43rd Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic with an 81-72 victory over Nebraska.

What could have been the lowest point of Verwers' one-year stay at UH instead became his shining moment last night. A 24-minute one, anyway, in which he pulled down a season-high nine rebounds, scored six points, blocked two shots and helped give the 'Bows the inside presence they have been lacking. Not to mention a path to the title game where they will meet the "other" team from Nebraska, Creighton (6-3) tonight.

That was more points than Verwers had scored in the previous 66 minutes of playing time and more rebounds than he had in the previous four games, which tells you a bit about why he'd lost a starting job he'd held for the first eight games of the season.

The Stan Sheriff Center following that had groaned through Verwers' earlier struggles gave him a well-deserved ovation when he left with 5 minutes, 27 seconds remaining last night and the 'Bows up by 20 points, a cushion that the Rainbow Warriors eventually needed every bit of in managing to hold on, but just barely, for their seventh win against four losses.

And head coach Riley Wallace gave Verwers a hearty thumbs-up when he came off the court, the timely answer to UH's prayers last night.

One game earlier, in an opening-round victory over San Francisco, the 'Bows big men had given a performance so weak that the USF coach had ripped them. A verbal shot Wallace reminded his big men, including Verwers, of in practice.

"Coach got on us a little," Verwers said, "because he wanted a little more out of us."

He got it when the 'Bows needed it most early on, preventing Cornhusker center Aleks Maric from being the force he had been in the first round.

Picking up for starter P.J. Owsley, Verwers helped sandwich Maric with Ahmet Gueye, confounding him and holding the Cornhusker center to eight first-half points before a foul-induced trip to the bench.

Just as big, he helped UH to a 45-27 domination of the boards. At times — and Verwers hit two big early first-half shots — a put-back and a baby hook, he made it look as easy as a pick-up game in the driveway. Which, Verwers said, is how he approached it. "My brother (David) is about the same size (6-11, 270 pounds as Maric) and I just tried to go after it the way I do against my brother."

For Verwers it was, indeed, an oh brother kind of a night.

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