Most of him would like to see every teammate's jumper find its way through the hoop, every layup cash in for two.

But Paul Campbell is a realist. He never assumes. He lurks around the rim, waiting, anticipating, hunting. A basketball bouncing around the cylinder is like a meal begging to be devoured. This is his moment.

While others stay grounded, hoping for a lucky bounce, he springs up again and again, all hustle and grit and moxie, until he finally feasts on a basket.

Campbell might not be Hawaii's jack of all trades, but he's certainly the jackal of the paint: ready, opportunistic and willing to do the dirty work. Taking a play off isn't really an option when you're counted on to clean up the messes of others.

“;Yeah, I can't do that. Coach (Larry) Farmer tells me every day, I gotta think like every shot is going to miss,”; the senior center said. “;If someone on our team shoots it, no matter what. If I want to be a good offensive rebounder, I gotta have that type of mentality.”;

The 6-foot-10, 215-pound Campbell is coming off his best game in three years as a Rainbow Warrior as the 7-6 'Bows head into Western Athletic Conference play starting tomorrow against Idaho. In an 81-62 win over Northwestern State on Monday, Campbell had four tip-ins as part of a 14-point, 15-rebound, three-block night. It was his second career double-double.

“;We don't run a whole lot of sets for him; he just gets it off the backboard and on hustle plays,”; head coach Bob Nash said. “;That's just who he is. You gotta love a guy who, because no plays are run for him, he doesn't let that limit his opportunities to score by going to get it off the offensive boards.”;

His contributions were especially important as two key starters—point guard Hiram Thompson and swingman Roderick Flemings—were out nursing injuries.

SOMETIMES IT'S easy to overlook a guy like Campbell. He won't blow you away with his stats (5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game). And he's placid, even-keeled; the yin to explosive Petras Balocka's yang in the Rainbows' frontcourt.

Yet there he is, having started all 12 games he's appeared in this season. At one end, UH counts on his workmanlike effort to keep possessions alive. On the other, he's the anchor and last line of defense as UH's only consistent shot-blocking threat—the Canadian has 21 of the team's 32 swats, ranking him sixth among WAC players at 1.8 per game.

Despite taking team Most Improved Player honors last season, the Toronto native had two primary factors working against him in his breakout year. One, he would get himself in foul trouble by gambling in unnecessary situations—say, for example, overzealously hedging out to challenge a guard at the top of the arc. Two, he routinely gave up considerable weight to bulkier forwards in the low block.

The UH coaches noticed much-improved discipline from Campbell in the first area of late, and a dedication to learning and exploiting the weaknesses of his man to counteract the girth disadvantage.

“;I think Paul realizes he's not going to be more physical than anybody he's going to guard,”; said Farmer, who works with the bigs. “;He's long, he's quick, and he's quick off his feet. But he's also quick on his feet. And I think that kind of neutralizes those bigger guys who are much stronger. He's never going to win a sumo wrestling contest in the low post. But what he can do is frustrate a guy by beating him to spots.”;

Campbell wants to translate that talent to professional ball once he graduates in May with a degree in sports management. Where exactly doesn't matter to him—though his family is Jamaican and he's partial to warm weather. It made Hawaii a good fit for the transfer from Arkansas-Fort Smith JC.

CAMPBELL has tremendous confidence in his team and teammates. He considers this year's group the best UH has had in his time here, and he wants to make the most of it now that league play is upon the Rainbows.

The center considers management of his team's emotions part of his job on the floor. When others drop their heads on the court after a bad shot or turnover, it's often Campbell who supplies the verbal pick-me-up.

“;I think it has to start with everyone having that same level of confidence,”; he said. “;I know our team is confident, but we've just gotta show it when we get on the court. There's times when we make mistakes and let it bother us too much. Mistakes happen in basketball; you just gotta pick it up and play with it.”;

You heard him, Rainbows. Keep playing after a miss, because Campbell is doing his best impression of Harvey Keitel in “;Pulp Fiction.”;

“;The Wolf”; is just waiting to clean up the mess.