Seniors Julian Sensley and Deonte Tatum will be the team captains for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team this season.

They were elected co-captains by their teammates yesterday.

"This is my senior year so I just feel good that the guys are looking to me as a leader," said Sensley, a 6-foot-9 forward.

Tatum, a 6-3 point guard, said: "I'm definitely grateful. I'm going to try my best to fill the role. I'm going to try and lead by example and by being vocal."

Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said he did not have a captain last season because "there were no leaders."

"This team is different, I can tell already," Wallace said. "And Deonte and Julian have both been showing leadership — they're getting after guys in practice. They're the ones the team wanted, and if I were a player, that's who I would have voted for, too."

Sensley and Tatum are returnees from last season's 16-13 team.

"I think one of the reasons why we struggled down the stretch last year was because we didn't have that leadership," Sensley said. "When things got tough, no one picked up the slack."

Tatum added: "It's more of a group on and off the court this year. Last year, I think guys were afraid to say things to each other, and it hurt us on the court."

The Rainbow Warriors will play an exhibition game against Hawai'i-Hilo on Nov. 11. The regular-season opener is Nov. 19 against Michigan State.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.