One of the most anticipated elements of the Rainbow Wahine basketball team’s opening week of practice won’t occur near a court.

While the task of building on-court chemistry began Sunday morning with the first practice of the season, the process of melding a new-look Hawaii roster continues over the weekend with the team’s annual retreat.

There is a function to the fun, with activities designed to build bonds within a group featuring nine newcomers, including six true freshmen, from varying backgrounds.

“It’s all getting to know each other, it’s all trust, it’s all communication,” fifth-year coach Laura Beeman said. “It’s taking these guys out of their comfort zone and putting them in positions where they can fail safely, and that’s what all our team builders try to do.”

Last year’s retreat included a zip-lining excursion as an exercise in overcoming fears and Beeman is keeping this year’s adventure under wraps until the weekend.

Point guard Olivia Crawford was part of last year’s freshman class and wasn’t sure what to expect when the team headed to the North Shore.

“I was like, ‘Wow, we have to go zip-lining, go to the beach two days. … Is there a trick here? Are we going to the court and go play basketball or something?’ ” Crawford said. “But we didn’t even bring our shoes. It was just all relaxing to get to know each other and the coaches. That was the biggest thing.”

With this year’s newcomers joining five returnees off last year’s Big West tournament championship team, the process of blending the additions into the program’s culture began when the team assembled in July.

Along with workouts in individual or small group sessions, there were organized team building activities ranging from a talk from a mental health expert to community service activities to a collaborative art project.

But some of the most formative moments are also some of the simplest.

“Some people live on campus, some people live off campus, so it’s hard trying to put everybody together. But once we’re together, it’s magical,” senior guard Briana Harris said. “We all get each other, we all get that vibe. We go to games together, we go to eat together. Just little things like that. … Have a conversation see what each other likes and dislikes.”

Said Beeman: “This is a good group. They do like each other, they spend a lot of time off the floor with one another. … Overall they’ve done a pretty good job of loving each other’s differences, because that’s what it’s about.”

The retreat will cap a run of five 21⁄2- to 3-hour practices as the Wahine integrate the new faces into a system that has produced postseason appearances each of Beeman’s four seasons in Manoa. Beeman praised the team’s effort after Sunday’s opening practice that she designed to give the freshmen a “welcome to what Division I basketball feels like” moment.

Among the newcomers, Beeman highlighted the effort of freshman guard Julissa Tago to start UH’s 40-day countdown to the Nov. 11 season opener at USC

“Every drill she stepped in she tried to get better. She listened, she was receptive, she did not cut her intensity down whatsoever,” Beeman said.

While the freshmen make the transition to college basketball, the returnees — Harris, Crawford, junior guard Sarah Toeaina and sophomores Lahni and Leah Salanoa — are also in a growth process in taking on more prominent roles on and off the court.

“It’s a good place to be in when you’re the one that’s going to have to get your 20 points in order for the team to be successful. In the same breath, when you’ve never been there it’s really difficult to understand what that feels like,” Beeman said.

“They also are very young in that aspect. They were not one, two, three or even four in our options last year. … They too are in a learning curve for sure.”