Heather Bown has been away from her Hawai'i home five years. The two-time Rainbow Wahine volleyball All-American has started in two Olympics, won a silver medal at the World Championships and earned a six-figure paycheck playing professionally in Italy.

That salary has allowed Bown to matriculate back to Manoa to finish her degree. She is taking 19 units so she can graduate in December and resume her assault on the "real world," where more money awaits in Italy, Turkey or Brazil.

What's tougher, watching her former team play or regaining the discipline demanded by a brutal academic schedule?

You might be surprised.

Bown knows the degree is critical for her future. Her mother told her so, many times. And, Bown realized long ago it is a must for any profession she pursues after volleyball.

So she suffers somewhat gladly the "busy work I know is busy work now because I've been in the real world and I know what you'll use and what you won't use." A broader perspective, new respect for deadlines and five years of learning a new language and culture in Italy have helped ease her back into academia.

But watching the sixth-ranked Rainbow Wahine, who face second-ranked Washington tonight and tomorrow, has been extremely difficult.

"I'm jaded now because I've played at a higher level," Bown admits. "It's stronger and faster and more physical and technical than they are right now. A lot of that stuff you don't need at this (college) level. The ball isn't coming as hard so it's not a level comparison. But overall, Hawai'i needs a lot of improvement if it wants to compete for a banner in the gym."

Bown is blunt about what she feels are the 'Bows' deficiencies. Footspeed is sorely lacking. So is fire and desire, the psychology major says. The whole team is "inefficient" with its movement and sometimes simply lazy.

The middles have made strides since she first saw them, but still need serious work to shore up the block and raise the level of their hitting.

"Besides the setter, the middle has got to be the most explosive and quick person on the floor because they are covering a lot of ground," says Bown, a middle blocker who still holds the UH record for blocks per game (1.95). "You want to touch the ball on every play whether it's a block or transition hitting. It they are faster to the ball, that makes them that much better."

The hitters also have their work cut out for them, starting with finding the court. Bown sees them hitting at only one speed and wants them to "manipulate" the ball more. She doesn't think they hit high enough or get down low enough when they pass, and their anticipation is weak.

"They are very one-dimensional now," Bown says. "They need to open up and think ahead. ... They need to stay level-headed and calm and understand they are the backbone of the team. If they can't put the ball down then they need to put it in play so other people can."

Even taking into account the health problems on the outside, Bown questions the hitters' desire to compete against each other and keep their focus.

"They are privileged to be out there and they need to play like it every point of the game," Bown says. "A point lasts two or three seconds. Is it that hard to keep your concentration that long? You get at least 10 seconds between plays. If you break it down, it's not a lot of time to give 100 percent."

Setting and coaching don't escape her criticism. She admires All-American Kanoe Kamana'o's heart and head, but wants to see more sophistication and speed. She would like to see more information and discipline coming from the coaches, and thinks they are "too nice."

She sees Hawai'i, even after getting blown out in Nebraska to start the season, gaining a "false sense of security" at home.

"What I see in the Stan Sheriff Center leaves a lot to be desired," says Bown, who is a volunteer coach at Mid-Pacific Institute. "This is the most passive I've ever seen a UH team. I didn't see much of them last year, but people said they had a lot of heart and I don't see that this year. And, I don't see them celebrating as a team."

What would it take to turn it around? More leadership and accountability, an attack mode that doesn't disappear and a terminator who wants the ball, Bown says. Also, a willingness to challenge themselves, particularly when they get into the conference season next week.

"They need some sort of character," Bown says. "I want to see something awesome and see them enjoying it.

"Not one player out there is as good as they are going to be. They can all be so much better. I know because I see it in spurts. The trick is to get all those spurts at the same time. When they can get that together they will really be fun to watch, and it will be fun for them to play."

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.