A disappointing end to a season of stepped-up expectations leaves the Hawaii basketball team with more questions than answers heading into the offseason.

UH’s inaugural year of Big West basketball yielded the Rainbow Warriors’ first winning conference record since 2006, but they could not match the preseason prediction of a fourth-place finish, and ultimately did not contend for either the BWC regular-season championship or the conference tournament title — despite a drop-off of overall league strength from the Western Athletic Conference.

A surprising appearance in the pay-for-play CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament — which was short-lived, thanks to a 69-65 home loss to Air Force on Wednesday — was little consolation to UH’s fan base. Only about 3,000 turned out for the game, which extended UH’s season-ending losing streak to four games and closed the campaign at 17-15 overall, including 10-8 in the Big West (fifth place).

It was coach Gib Arnold’s second winning season in three years and second CIT appearance since 2011. The highlights included first-team conference recognition for Nebraska transfer Christian Standhardinger and BWC Co-Freshman of the Year honors for fan favorite Isaac Fotu of New Zealand. Senior center Vander Joaquim of Angola had an uneven final year but left the program as one of its most decorated players, finishing 10th overall in scoring and third in rebounding, behind only Melton Werts and John Penebacker.

Yet the season concluded in disappointing fashion, with only a one-game improvement from last season’s 16-16 finish, and the team once again fell short of bettering its 19-13 record from Arnold’s successful first season in Manoa. The program’s traditional postseason tournament drought — NCAA or NIT — goes back to 2004.

UH could not maximize the talent of a stacked frontcourt because of a very thin guard rotation, especially when the team’s best all-around perimeter player, Brandon Spearman, missed five games late in the season with a sprained ankle.

Arnold had several ways he could have triggered an automatic one-year extension to his contract, which currently expires after the 2013-14 season. They included a 20-win campaign, a top-two finish in the Big West regular season, or an appearance in the BWC tournament championship game.

But the rollover was not achieved, and Arnold must now discuss a possible extension with new athletic director Ben Jay this offseason, or risk recruiting difficulties.

Arnold gave the Star-Advertiser the following statement about the 2012-13 campaign:

"When I look back at this season there are many things we can be proud of. An overall winning season, finishing in the top half of the Big West with a conference winning record, highest team GPA ever (cumulative of 2.92 in the fall), student section coming out and creating a real college environment, and highest overall attendance since 2004. I am very pleased with the progress of the program and the young group of talented returning players. I believe for us to make the next step to Big West champions we will need to increase our athleticism and deepen our guard play as unlike the WAC which was dominated by bigs this conference is a guard-oriented league. We will be relentless in our recruiting to address this issue and will continue to build a team that the people of Hawaii can be proud of, both on and off the court."

Roster imbalance became a recurring theme.

UH was expected to dominate the paint in the Big West on a nightly basis behind big men Joaquim, Standhardinger and Fotu, especially once Joaquim, an All-WAC player last year, put off a pro career and elected to return for his senior season. But they could not do that consistently enough against smaller teams that generally zoned them. At the other end, teams punished Hawaii’s lack of perimeter speed and athleticism with 3-point shooting; UH was last in Big West games in 3-point defense at .394.

Still, Standhardinger became UH’s first All-Big West first-team selection after averages of 15.8 points and 7.9 rebounds, and a team-high 45 steals. Fotu became only the second UH player to be named conference freshman of the year after posting 10.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game on league-best .623 shooting — the second-highest single-season conversion rate in program history.

The ‘Bows peaked during a five-game winning streak between Jan. 26 and Feb. 9. They matched the program’s conference road winning streak record of three.

Then things bottomed out. Spearman went down in a loss at Pacific on Feb. 16, severely hurting UH’s guard depth, and unsteady freshmen Manroop Clair and Ozren Pavlovic were dropped from the rotation.

Unlike 2012, there would be no spirited run in the conference tournament to pick things up from a late-season skid. UH was one-and-done in Anaheim, Calif., with a 71-60 loss to UC Irvine in the Big West quarterfinals.

Joaquim was hampered by a preseason MCL injury and, lacking much of his prior explosiveness, his production dipped almost across the board (13.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 31 blocks) en route to BWC honorable mention. His frustration boiled over when he stormed out of the Stan Sheriff Center with most of the second half remaining against Air Force.

UH loses two other seniors in swingman Hauns Brereton (10.0 ppg) and point guard Jace Tavita, who led the Big West in assists (5.6 per game). Now the question becomes, who else will depart early? The ‘Bows experienced heavy roster turnover in each of the past two offseasons.

Indications are that video coordinator Jamie Smith, who galvanized the UH student section this season with popular theme nights at games, is unlikely to return next year.

Also going are the nicknames of the "Rainbow Warriors" or "’Bows." In July, all UH men’s sports officially become the "Warriors."

What’s coming back is another solid frontcourt, with the poke-loving Fotu firmly in the fold and the irrepressible Standhardinger poised for a big senior season. Arnold will build around those two, Spearman and point guard Keith Shamburger, who will be eligible coming off a redshirt transfer year from San Jose State.

UH also signed promising wing Michael Thomas and center Stefan Jovanovic in the fall. It’s believed Arnold is looking at several junior college players to bolster the backcourt. The spring signing period runs from April 17 to May 5, though players may be added with non-binding agreements after that date.

Team banquet set for April 3

The UH men’s basketball team’s postseason banquet is set for April 3 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Ballroom. No-host cocktails begin at 5:30 p.m., with dinner and the program to follow at 6:30.

Tickets are $120 each. Banquet forms are available at hawaiiathletics.com and can be returned to the UH basketball office at the Manoa lower campus.

For more information, call Bobbie Omoto at 956-6501.