University of Hawaii basketball player Sheriff Drammeh does not believe in idle worship.

“He’s a ball of energy at all times, probably from when he was born,” coach Eran Ganot said.

Three weeks ago, Drammeh suffered an ankle injury. Although he went through light pregame drills, he did not play in last weekend’s season-opening Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic. Despite his “DNP” in the three box scores, Drammeh was impactful, offering advice to the younger players and root-root-rooting for the home team from the UH bench.

He said he is hopeful of playing in Sunday’s game against Northern Arizona. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.

“Whether he’s in or out, he brings the energy,” Ganot said. “He’s consistent there. Every second of his life he has energy. He’s gifted that way.”

Drammeh’s absence had a three-fold effect in the three-day round robin. Drammeh can play all the guard positions. Asked to describe Drammeh’s role, Ganot said, “1, 2, 3” — a reference to the numerical designations for point, shooting and wing guards. “And he guards 1, 2, 3,” Ganot added.

Drammeh said: “Basically, I’m a combo guard. Wherever they put me, I’ll play there. Whoever they put me on, I’ll guard that person. It doesn’t really matter.”

Drammeh probably would have provided aggressive coverage against North Texas. The Mean Green dissected the Rainbow Warriors’ man-to-man defense with point penetration, back-door cuts, and drive-and-kick-out plays.

Drammeh’s two-way skills appear to fit the ’Bows’ newly emphasized accelerated offense.

“I’m a fast player,” Drammeh said. “The faster tempo is good for me.”

In preseason testing, Drammeh ran a mile in 4 minutes, 56 seconds. He has posted the fastest times in each of Ganot’s four seasons as head coach.

“I do get tired,” Drammeh said of frenetic pace. “You have to go out there and have fun. That’s what I do. I play my heart out, play with passion every possession. Whenever you play with passion and do something you love, you cannot not be happy.”

Drammeh said he is “close” to being fully healthy. He said athletic trainer Jayson Goo has set up a diligent rehabilitation schedule.

“I just go with Jay Goo,” Drammeh said. “He knows his stuff.

Drammeh has participated in the past three practices. “I’m working my way back,” he said. “Trying to get healthy. Trying to play my first game.”

Ganot said he counts on Drammeh to deliver leadership.

“You will hear Sheriff every day,” Ganot said. “He will make sure you hear his presence.”