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Message: [QUOTE="Zelda Zonk, post: 2198190, member: 966"] [B][I]"I can't help but feel that the 5th year transfer, no matter how skilled, is in some way a retread or "sloppy 2nds in comparison with a highly rated freshman."[/I][/B] I agree with the tone of most of your post. But, how many freshmen were as productive as Andrew White last year? Granted, we'd have to 'strike gold' each year, but, that's not so different from getting a one-and-done freshman. That said, yeah, it's not a sustainable strategy, and yes, we've lost a lot by not being the headline team in our conference any longer. Limbo with coaching... We definitely need a consistent influx of top 25 freshman to compete in the league. A lot of people seem to feel that we can get top 100s and JB's genius and The System will get us to Final Fours, and seemingly the regular season doesn't matter... I don't believe/trust in that. We need talent, and i'm dismayed and "blue," as you put it, that we seem to have given up on going after the elite talent because it's a forgone conclusion that they're going to Kentucky or Duke. I hate that attitude, despite how 'practical' it feels at this point. But, we need to change. And evolve. We have to face that we're not as attractive as we used to be, and get serious about changing the factors that lead to those types of perceptions. Being known as 'the zone team,' and having a number of years where we were expected to be a slow-paced, low-scoring team — not helping. The Locker Room thing... Our 'townie/blue-collar' design aesthetic... JB's 'contract,' etc. We need a Theo Epstein type of resurgence... I'm trusting that Brissett is going to be better than expected, right out of the box. That Sidibe is going to be pretty good in a year or so. That Chukwu is going to develop. That Moyer is going to be a force. That Franklin comes back mature-r and with a lot to prove. I'm not sure all of that will lead to more than another .500 ACC team, but there is a strong possibility of more than that. Not a lot more, but more. Plus who ever else we get. We didn't get our leading scorer until August last season. If we can add a 12-15 pt scorer from the grad transfers, that will likely be what we would have expected from Tucker, if not more. A one-year stopgap instead of a two-year measure, but we'll do it again next year if we strike out on impactful HS kids. And rinse and repeat until... Until. [/QUOTE]

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