Was it really two years ago that we watched the University of Hawaii’s basketball teams triumphantly cutting down the nets at the Big West basketball tournament?

Seeing the Rainbow Wahine and Rainbow Warriors trudge off the court Tuesday at Cal State Fullerton and Thursday at the Honda Center, respectively, after disappointing first-round exits you could be pardoned for thinking the good old days were a lot further removed.

This is especially true in the case of the Rainbow Warriors who have been sent packing in their tournament openers in back-to-back seasons now.

Since their championships in 2015-16 both teams have finished in the bottom half — fifth place or lower — in the Big West regular-season standings each year.

Expecting championships every year without an occasional rebuilding year, even in the Big West, probably isn’t realistic. Especially with the men coming off their one-year NCAA postseason ban.

But the concern is that what we’ve seen of late looks suspiciously more like the beginning of a trend than a hiccup.

Can you look at what both teams, especially the men, lose in terms of departing players and what they have stepping in and say with confidence that things will be significantly better to the point of being championship contenders down to the wire next season? Probably not.

The problem isn’t coaching, at least not of the Xs and Os variety. Fact is Eran Ganot has done some of his best sideline and game preparation work this year.

Bringing the ’Bows out of their five-game February funk, something that would have doomed some previous teams to a total collapse, with a three-game winning streak was an accomplishment.

With few exceptions, Ganot and his staff have gotten the most out of the material they have, motivating players, bringing them together, keeping them on the same page and putting them in positions where they can have a chance to succeed.

That’s something you couldn’t always say about some of their predecessors.

Where the ’Bows lag is in recruiting after the exodus of the championship team. The overall talent level has kept UH competitive against a marginal nonconference schedule and, for a time, raised hopes in the Big West, but hasn’t been sufficient to allow the ’Bows to stay in the conference title race over the long haul.

Proof of that is their fade to an 8-8 finish in the Big West regular season and postseason exit after a 4-1 start. Given time, opponents were able to work around some of UH’s defensive schemes.

That has been most noticeable in the backcourt where UH had to count so heavily on Brocke Stepteau, who fortuitously walked on to give them a boost they would not have otherwise had.

Some of the deficiencies were underlined in Thursday’s loss to UC Irvine. UH did its work inside with the big men, Gibson Johnson and Mike Thomas combining for 37 points, but had no answer for the Anteaters’ guards, Evan Leonard, Eyassu Worku and Max Hazzard, who combined for 57 of UCI’s 68 points, including the game-winning ones down the stretch.

The fact is that unless an 11th-hour difference-maker of a shooting guard is unearthed or a graduate transfer along the lines of another Noah Allen is found, the fear is that the ’Bows, as they are currently constituted, will be hard pressed to be championship material in the Big West next season.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.