The University of Hawai'i women's basketball team's advance showing at Friday's Twilight Ohana celebration was hardly a visual masterpiece.

But amid the fumbled passes and blown layups, hidden somewhere beneath the accumulated rust of a long offseason, lay the initial brush strokes of what head coach Jim Bolla hopes will be a beautiful season.

"This was just a chance for them to get out, be in front of a crowd, and interact with a crowd," Bolla said. "After this, we'll start getting serious about this stuff."

The Rainbow Wahine open the season Nov. 16 against Washington in the first round of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic at Stan Sheriff Center.

In Friday's 15-minute scrimmage, the Green and White squads combined to shoot a shaky 10-for-33 from the field while turning the ball over a combined 16 times.

But perhaps the better indicator of where the team is headed was revealed in the steady play of all-conference returnee Tanya Smith, the advanced playmaking ability of freshman Keisha Kanekoa, the aggressiveness and physicality of senior center Iwona Zagrobelna, and the willingness of both squads to run, run, run in transition.

"We're a little more athletic and we'll do a little more transition on offense and defense," Bolla said. "We're going to go with more full-court pressure defensively this year."

Key to that effort will be a pair of freshmen from the Big Island.

Leilani Galdones, a 5-foot-6 guard, led Kamehameha-Hawai'i to consecutive Division II state finals, securing the school's first state title in 2005.

"She's one who can push the ball down the floor as well as score," Bolla said.

Kanekoa, the 2007 Honolulu Advertiser State Player of the Year, led Honoka'a to three state semifinal appearances and averaged 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists per game as a senior.

Bolla has already penciled in Kanekoa as his starting point guard.

"We've seen her play for the last three years and we know what she's capable of doing," Bolla said. "If you're running the floor, she'll get you the ball. That's something we haven't had. She's a true point guard."

The Rainbow Wahine lost 32 points per game with the graduation of Pam Tambini, Janevia Taylor and Brittany Grice, but Bolla said he expects to recoup some of those points with a Kanekoa-led transition game.

"Keisha will get us a lot more transition baskets and that will be spread out to whoever is running the floor," Bolla said. "I think we'll pick up five baskets a game, just with her in transition, that we didn't get last year and the year before because we liked to dribble the ball a lot."

Bolla said the driving opportunities that Kanekoa, Galdones and senior Amy Kotani create should also benefit the outside shooters, notably sophomore swing Megan Tinnin.

"If we come down the floor a couple of times and get layups, that's going to open up the outside shot. And, Megan can really shoot the ball."

Frontcourt depth will be a concern. Bolla is used to rotating four post players over the course of a game. And while he won't have that luxury this season, he does have two solid building blocks in Smith and Zagrobelna.

Smith earned all-Western Athletic Conference honors last year while leading the team in rebounds (9.2 per conference, second in the conference), field-goal percentage (.513), and double-doubles (9) to go with 10.8 points per game. She played for the Australian National Team in this summer's World University Games.

"I played against some good competition and getting beaten down by them was a good way to get better," Smith said.

Zagrobelna, a 6-foot-4 center from Wroclaw, Poland, started five games last year, averaging 4.9 points and 3.8 rebounds.

"She was a little more physical tonight than she was last year," said Bolla. "Once we get her in better shape, it'll come."

Bolla said he'll likely play a motion offense, likely going at least nine players deep to keep his post players fresh. Entering his fourth year at the helm, he finally has a squad composed entirely of players coached by him and his staff.

"We've gotten through that transition (from previous coach Vince Goo and his staff), so hopefully you'll see some differences in the two philosophies," Bolla said. "It's going to be fun."

The 'Bows are picked to finish sixth in the conference, but Smith has other ideas.

"As a team, we want to win the WAC," she said. "We almost beat Boise State when I was a sophomore, and last year they won the whole WAC. That's a big motivation for us."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.