After a long absence, Hawaii has returned to the NCAA tournament and once again, a Canadian is leading the way.

Back in 2001 and 2002, it was Newfoundland's Carl English powering the Rainbow Warriors to consecutive tourney appearances, only the third and fourth in school history.

There were no further trips -- until Stefan Jankovic, a sharp-shooting big man who grew up just outside of Toronto in Mississauga, helped put the team over the top, winning conference player of the year honours in his second season since transferring from Missouri.

The team will take on No. 4 seed California in Spokane, Wash., on Friday, a major accomplishment for a program that faced NCAA sanctions and fired its head coach a week before this season began.

It has been a wild ride for Jankovic, who has seen the unfortunate side of big-time college basketball up close, with his Missouri coach getting suspended and the man who recruited him to Hawaii facing his own problems and eventually being dismissed.

"I saw a lot of potential, when I transferred over, it was kind of that vision (of making the tournament)," Jankovic said over the phone Tuesday, a couple of hours before he was set to head to Washington to get acclimated.

"A lot of things threw adversity (at the team), but it worked out at the end."

Did it ever. Jankovic averaged 15.7 points and 6.6 rebounds, shooting 39.5% from beyond the three-point arc, new coach Eran Ganot won coach of the year after a 27-5 season, and the team goes into play Friday feeling good about its chances.

"We've been waiting a year for this, we were so close last year, we're confident too," Jankovic said.

"We really feel good about the matchup, we can't wait to get out there."

English had a message for this new generation of Rainbow Warriors, encouraging them via Twitter Monday to "cherish every moment."

English, currently in the midst of a fine season in Puerto Rico after years of success overseas and with Team Canada, says this time of year always brings back happy memories and he was thrilled to be able to watch Hawaii's thrilling win over Montana State on Saturday, which punched Hawaii's ticket to the tourney, live on television.

"People were telling me they were going to have a great season and actually ... I got to see it, it was amazing, it was great," English told the Toronto Sun in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Watching the game flashed English right back to 2001 and 2002.

"Yeah, those things always do," he said. "I mean, when you are on that college team for a long time, you watch how they're doing, you watch the struggles and the progress over time. A lot of changes happened there, especially with the conference (Hawaii left the Western Athletic Conference in 2012) and things, it's not as easy to get in. So, if they didn't win their game, even though they've had a terrific season, I don't think they would have gotten in."

English said of facing California -- "it could be an upset there," and appraised Jankovic as a player with "great footwork, can spot up and tough, tough kid."

That last part is probably music to Jankovic's ears. He could always score from all over the court, but was far from a traditional big man, willing to bang away in the tough areas.

"This year I kind of had to embrace going down low and being a presence down low and rebounding and blocking shots," Jankovic said, refreshingly not pulling any punches.

"I was expecting a good year regardless of the position I played. But one thing I was always lacking was toughness, down low presence, I like to float around, but (have definitely) improved this year on my low post (game) ... Just kind of embracing my role, instead of shying away from contact, shying away from being 6-11. It was more of a mental thing, instead of being in the gym and working out."

While playing in Hawaii is a dream, it isn't for everybody. The school's distance from the continental U.S. -- both in miles and time zones -- means that the team doesn't get a ton of attention, other than being on the odd ESPN broadcast.

English said that's probably why most elite Canadians don't go there, because it's harder to get noticed, but Jankovic is thrilled at his choice.

"To be honest, at the time of my transfer, a lot of people were writing me off ... It came down to me and (Toronto's Negus Webster-Chan, who also left Missouri for Hawaii, but has since moved on) were really close, it was so far away from everything that people were telling me and it kind of felt good to get away, and to be in Hawaii," he said.

"I don't think there's a better place to spend working out and focusing on my game," he said.

"You can work out in the morning, go to the beach ... In my visit, I just fell in love. That was my first visit and it just sealed the deal for me."

Just like it once captivated English and his former teammate, fellow Canadian Phil Martin, from Stoney Creek, ON, who played the most games in program history and now lives in Honolulu.

WIGGINS AMAZES JANKOVIC

Hawaii star Stefan Jankovic has played with some big-name teammates over the years.

The partial list includes future NBAers Andrew Wiggins, Nik Stauskas, Tyler Ennis and Anthony Bennett in AAU basketball (Grassroots Canada and later CIA Bounce) and Jordan Clarkson and Jabari Brown at Missouri.

Jankovic said he learned a lot about mental preparation and what separates good players from great players along the way, knowledge that has proven extremely beneficial on his rise to Big West Conference player of the year.

One thing he'll never forget is seeing Wiggins for the first time when they were barely in their teens.

"He was seventh grade in Canada or a sixth grader, and he could windmill (dunk), which is insane," Jankovic recalled on Tuesday.

Later, they would become high school teammates in Huntington, W. Va.

"Obviously his game developed big-time since then, but his athleticism was always there."

But it's more than just physical prowess.

"The thing I notice with the NBA players I've been around is the mental aspect of their games. Like Wiggins, we can (play video games and) joke around, but on the court, you're a different animal, you're a different beast. You are focused in. You kind of have to have that killer (mentality).