The player known as "Smooch" on the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team would like to smooch last season goodbye.

After a forgettable junior season, Alex Veit is working on a memorable senior season with the Rainbow Warriors. The 6-foot-8 forward is one of seven seniors for the 'Bows, who open the season Nov. 9 against San Diego.

"My goal is for this team to go out and win every game," he said. "And hopefully I can help this team do that. I know a lot of people are predicting for us not to win a lot of games, so it'll be fun to be the underdog."

Among the returning seniors, Veit is an individual underdog.

Last season — his first at UH after transferring from Monterey Peninsula College (Calif.) — Veit appeared in just 10 games, and it was mostly in the closing minutes. He finished with a total of five points and five rebounds in his limited action.

But Veit was not the only player who languished on the bench last season. Three others — Todd Follmer, Todd Lowenthal and Dominic Waters — transferred after the season, in part due to their limited roles.

Veit said he had no intention of joining the defectors.

"I knew I had to stay strong and stick at it and do the right thing," he said. "I've always felt like I can help this team."

His parents, Chris and Jan, nurtured that kind of spirit in him while he was growing up in Salem, Ore.

"He's a tough kid, but he's also a quiet kid," his mother Jan said. "As parents, we were wondering why he wasn't playing more, and how it was affecting him. But you know what? He never complained to us or talked about being homesick. Not once. I think it showed that he's not a quitter."

Veit is even able to put a positive spin on last season, when his primary role was with the scout team.

"I had to go against Ahmet (Gueye) every day in practice," he said. "That made me a stronger player."

Even when Veit returned to Salem for a few weeks during the summer, his focus remained on basketball. In particular, he lifted weights and shot baskets every day.

"I put on probably 10 pounds," said Veit, who now weighs 230. "I wanted to come back (to Hawai'i) and start from scratch."

Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said: "He's indicated that he wants to have a great senior year, and that's what you like to see. He has as good a chance as anybody to play, and even start. It's a matter of doing the things it takes to get on the floor because they all have an equal shot at this point of the season."

In truth, Veit always had the physical skills.

As a senior in high school, he was named the most valuable player of the Oregon state tournament after he helped lead South Salem High to the state championship. He was also a district champion in the long jump for his high school track and field team.

Now, he has a 39-inch vertical jump, and is probably the most athletic "big man" on the roster this season.

Nash said Veit's role will hinge on "putting all those tools together."

"He's a tremendous athlete. He can slide his feet, he can jump and touch the top of the square on the backboard, he can hit that 17-foot jump shot — those are all the abilities we like," Nash said. "But his fundamentals are not where it should be at this stage. Once he can get all of that going — the fundamentals along with his physical gifts — he'll be a great player for us."

Through the first three weeks of practice, Veit has been serving as a back-up at power forward behind his roommate, P.J. Owsley.

"He's a real amazing athlete," Owsley said of Veit. "I definitely think he has a chance of seeing more minutes this year. Last year, he dealt with everything positively, so he deserves a shot this year as long as he keeps working hard."

Owsley and Veit said they have developed a close friendship away from the court, even though they are battling each other for playing time. Some days, in fact, the battle is more fierce in their apartment when they hook up the XBox game system.

"We play NBA 2K8," Owsley said. "I win most of the time, but it's pretty close."

As for Veit's nickname?

He said his mother started calling him "Smooch" a few years ago, and it followed him to Hawai'i. His teammates don't even refer to him as Alex anymore.

"No matter what happens in the gym, all the guys love him outside," Nash said. "That's the sign of a great teammate. That's Smooch."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.