Another offseason and surprise, surprise, surprise: Another drama for the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team and coach Gib Arnold. This latest one makes the others seem like the "absolutely nothing" that Arnold claimed this would be.

Two years ago there was the mass exodus of players that Arnold and his supporters chalked up to the transfer culture of college basketball.

Last year there was a narrow brush with the Academic Progress Rate rules that nearly led to some form of sanctions.

Now there’s an ongoing NCAA investigation that started because of some alleged sketchy paperwork handling having to do with a transfer.

Those who say the program is heading in the right direction might — barely — have a case on the court (although you couldn’t really say so when considering how badly things ended in the Big West Tournament in March).

In 2013-14 the Rainbow Warriors won 20 games and played with fervor and were entertaining, even though they ended up in the middle of the Big West — a conference that is mediocre at best.

Off the court?

Even some of Arnold’s most ardent apologists are coming around to the quaint notion that an NCAA investigation is not a good thing … especially considering it’s been going on for quite a while now, and especially considering that as feared the queries have expanded beyond what UH initially self-reported.

We know that, because while UH has some leverage in preventing its employees and current players from talking to media, it doesn’t enjoy the same control over former players.

And that’s where that transfer culture comes into play. Arnold can claim otherwise, but not everyone who leaves UH leaves via mutual agreement and on friendly terms.

Departing guard Keith Shamburger — who claimed on Twitter that Maryland offered him Tuesday — told the Star-Advertiser he is not leaving because of potential competition for his starting spot but, "It might be because of the coaches."

He indicated at the same face-to-face interview, following UH’s spring football finale April 26, that the NCAA investigation factored in. He was also told by a person in the UH compliance office that the NCAA would be interviewing him within the next week.

Another player on his way out, Caleb Dressler, told the Star-Advertiser’s Brian McInnis last week that he was also interviewed by the NCAA.

The NCAA investigator came and left Hawaii more than a month ago. That players are still being interviewed is probably not something for Rainbow Warrior fans to celebrate.

We won’t know for sure how serious this is until the NCAA finishes up and delivers its verdict. Maybe it will be happy with the way UH handled things itself.

But the deafening silence from athletic director Ben Jay — and Dressler, Shamburger and probably others still being questioned — suggests the final result will be more than a self-administered slap on the wrist.

Reach Star-Advertiser sports columnist Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com, his “Quick Reads” blog at staradvertiser.com and twitter.com/davereardon.