It's probably a good thing that the Hawaii men's basketball team has today to recover.

The Rainbow Warriors endured their highest-intensity practice of the early season yesterday as the team closed its first five-day session of drills and plays.

Players hit the deck of the Stan Sheriff Center early and often fighting for loose balls and generally impeding the offensive progress—legally or otherwise—of those wearing jerseys of a different color.

Coach Bob Nash and assistant Jackson Wheeler helped stoke the team's competitive fire to a near-inferno at every opportunity with pointed feedback.

“;If we're going to be intense and see guys battle on the floor, taking charges, that's the way we want to play,”; Nash said. “;Like I told the guys, there has to be a level of commitment on the defensive end, the way it's going to be on the offensive end. We want to embrace guys taking pride in their defense. Put pressure on guys, don't let them catch the ball, make them throw bad passes. That's dominating your man on the defensive end, and that's the mode we want these guys to be in every single time they hit the floor.”;

Guard Lasha Parghalava was especially competitive, screaming “;Let's go!”; whenever his squad made a defensive stop.

Point guards Kareem Nitoto and Hiram Thompson fully expected a day like yesterday following a lackadaisical session Monday.

“;Everybody knew coming into it that it was gonna be a tough practice,”; Thompson said. “;We knew we had to go play hard because yesterday we kind of had a down practice, and the coaches were pretty disappointed about that. As players, we had to step it up and give it all we had.”;

“;Our intensity level here and now is at another level from last season,”; Nitoto said. “;We have a whole different mentality than last season, where we're way more competitive against each other offensively, defensively. It's just like playing against an opposing team.”;

The day wasn't without injuries, as freshmen Adam Jespersen (rolled ankle) and Gary Satterwhite Jr. (shoulder) were sidelined. Neither is expected to be out long.