Maybe it was two colleagues talking story.

Maybe it was a serious conversation.

But if recent “discussions” between Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez and University of Hawaii athletic director Craig Angelos lead to an invitation for UH’s non-football sports to also join the conference, there can be only one correct answer: Heck, yes.

Oh, UH officials can do the we’ll-get-back-to-you move, like a car salesman consulting with the “manager” in the back room. After all, a move like this has several steps. While UH has been a football-only affiliate of the Mountain West since 2012, it is not an easy transition to move its other sports, most of whom compete in the Big West. UH president David Lassner, who will make the final call, still must consult with his bosses, the Board of Regents, as well as extend courtesy input from the affected head coaches.

There also is the financial aspect. UH would have to pay a $750,000 exit fee to the Big West. Because UH has programs not sponsored by the Mountain West, those teams each would have to pay $25,000 annually to still compete in the Big West. An arrangement probably could be worked out for the men’s volleyball program, whose departure would drop the Big West’s membership in that sport to five teams. The Rainbow Warriors are, by far, the most popular men’s volleyball program in the Big West. It might be dicier for UH’s water polo and men’s swimming programs.

And the Mountain West still has to make a formal invitation. That would be voted on by the presidents of the 12 Mountain West schools (including Hawaii). The leaders of the five schools that will be leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2026 will be recused from voting on the matter.

It would be natural for UH officials to wonder: Why now?

UH was among the schools left behind when eight Western Athletic Conference schools broke away in 1999 to form the Mountain West. In a desperate bid to be added to the Mountain West’s inaugural roster, UH first threatened a lawsuit and then resorted to pleading. Both efforts went nowhere.

In 2012, the Mountain West relented. UH was admitted as a football-only member — the other sports would go to the Big West — on the condition it paid travel subsidies ($150,000 to schools from the Pacific time zone; $175,000 to those on Mountain time) and not share in the league’s national television package.

Last month, when it came to divvying the sabotage and exit fees from the five schools’ departure, the Mountain West dispersed 5% to UH while giving 24.5% shares to Air Force and UNLV, and 11.5% each to Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State and Wyoming. That was a telling sign of how the Mountain West viewed UH as a football-only affiliate.

UH should feel slighted, disrespected, hurt, and blah, blah, blah. Have a carton of ice cream or a hug, but get over it. All teams in the same conference is better than splitting residences. The Mountain West is better in basketball and more winnable in baseball and softball. Six Mountain West teams qualified for the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, half of whom will remain with the league. Long Beach State was the only Big West team to make the NCAA Tournament.

It has been argued that UH’s travel is easier when competing in the Big West, where the rest of the schools are in California. But that does not account for the bus rides. San Luis Obispo (home of Cal Poly) is a breathtaking coastal town, but it is not on an easy path.

Angelos said he was assured UH’s football status was not contingent on the other sports programs joining the Mountain West. But it was not unreasonable for Angelos, who has a law degree, to ask. In college sports, landscapes shift constantly, and there is more security for the UH football program with the other sports also in the Mountain West. In other words, it’s easier to kick out an affiliate football team than a multiple-sports school.

While negotiations involve leverage and bargaining strength, UH, if offered, needs to do what’s best for itself. And that’s to move all its sports to the Mountain West.