Before he could play a single official minute, Caleb Dressler’s Hawaii basketball career has come to an end.

The redshirt freshman, who is sitting out the 2013-14 season after having back surgery in the fall, has requested and will be granted his release from UH.

Dressler, a 6-foot-10 center out of Evergreen High (Wash.), was not on the bench with the Rainbow Warriors’ other inactive players during last week’s games, a 92-83 loss to Long Beach State and a 77-63 defeat of Cal State Northridge.

While he continues his rehab process from the bulging disc that sidelined him for the year, Dressler seeks either a Division II school or a junior, community or bible college — likely close to home in the Pacific Northwest — to showcase his abilities for a larger program.

Dressler saw the writing on the wall when the Rainbow Warriors added a midseason transfer in January, forward Stefan Jankovic of Missouri.

"I’m just trying to find a place to play," Dressler said. "I’ve sat two years now, redshirt and injury, and enough’s enough for me. Coming out of high school, I played a lot. Now not playing a lot, I really want to get into games and just start having an impact on a team.

"Coach (Gib Arnold) has already told me it’s going to be hard to get some playing time next year, so you know, it’s unfortunate," he said. "We both didn’t see the back injury coming along tearing my UH experience apart. But it’s time for me to move on. They’ve done everything they can to help me through the process."

Dressler would have had three years of eligibility remaining at UH, and possibly four if a medical hardship was attained from the NCAA.

Arnold said he will pursue another big man through recruiting for the 2014-15 season and beyond.

"He’s been good to us, but he’s going to seek a program where he can play, even if he’s not 100 percent he can still help out," Arnold said. "He’s not even close to being back on the floor yet, and a long way from being back in Division I shape and being able to compete at this high level. I think he can really help someone. I think he’s got a lot of basketball left in him as he recovers, if he recovers well. I support him in that. He came and talked to me about it. I appreciate everything he’s brought to the table and it didn’t work out, but no hard feelings on either side."

Senior center Davis Rozitis was appreciative of Dressler’s efforts on the scout team last season helping the UH rotation players prepare for games.

"It’s always hard to lose a teammate, but it’s common," Rozitis said. "A high number of freshmen transfer during their college careers. Unfortunately Caleb wasn’t able to suit up for us, but he provided energy and a boost in practice. He was a big body to play against on the scout team, so he helped us prepare for the games."

UH’s other big men slated to return for next season are the 6-10 Jankovic, 6-10 freshman center Stefan Jovanovic, 6-8 forward Isaac Fotu and 6-8 forward Mike Thomas.

Fourth-place UH (15-6, 4-3 Big West) continues its four-game homestand against UC Santa Barbara (14-6, 5-2) on Thursday.

"Shambargo" still in effect

Hawaii point guard Keith Shamburger was still unavailable for comment after Monday’s practice coming off the Northridge game, in which he was benched for the entire first half for what Arnold called "a coach’s decision." Shamburger played most of the second half in helping the team pull away to win by 14.

Shamburger was still the reigning Big West Player of the Week during his prominent benching. He was not made available for comment by UH after the game, but Arnold said then the junior remains an important part of the team.

The media embargo — which Arnold said came at Shamburger’s request — will last until an unspecified time, the coach said.

In the hours before the Northridge game, Shamburger wrote on Twitter: "ain’t no point in this nomore." But he seemed contrite afterward, writing "it is what it is. learned my lesson time to move on from that" and "can’t talk about what happen sorry … just know it won’t happen again."