Ha, I wondered myself after I re-read what I wrote whether my point came across as intended. It obviously failed. The larger point I was attempting to make is that it wasn't too long ago that unless you were a lottery type pick, guys were probably coming back on the premise that by next year, they could possibly get into that position. Then it moved to anywhere in the first round, kids were gone. Now, it has evolved to even where a 2nd round projection has kids leaving. Some of those guys you mentioned above (in today's climate vs. when they played) may be of that "high quality" you are thinking fit that mold, but would leave because the environment has changed so much since they played. I think we need a combo of a one or two & done types on the roster (like we've had as you mentioned) along with those "high quality" types to get us out of our middling state the past 5 years or so. I hope that's clearer...if not, just go with Bayside's comment that I pretty much am agreeing with you.
Sorry -- didn't pick up on that, when you suggested that we would be stuck in the middle forever and couldn't change lanes. I actually agree that we won't see a significant strategic shift until JB eventually steps down, but I DO believe that we could see markedly better outcomes with a more robust roster that includes a sprinkle of some higher rated recruits supplementing a solid foundation of program guys.
That's always seemed to be our formula for success. In 1996, we had Wallace and a bunch of role players who all stepped up. In 2010, sure - we had Wes who was a star, but we also had two fifth-year seniors [Andy / Arinze] and four other guys who ended up being four year players who were all above average and terrific college players [Kris, Rick, Scoop, Triche], who weren't NBA prospects.
In 2012, we had Dion / Fab who were two-and-dones, but the "best" / most impactful players on that team were four year players like Kris, CJ, and Scoop. BTW, that team was insanely deep, and one of the few examples of JB not being locked into certain players / specific lineups, and truly going 9 deep.
The 2013 final four team featured MCW and Jerami in reserve, but also featured four year [and sometimes five year] guys like CJ, Triche, Southerland, Rak, and Coleman.
The 2016 final four squad had two eventual early entrants [Mali, Lydon], but featured three fifth year players [Gbinije, who was the best player, Cooney, Coleman].
I think that the key for our program - which is never going to compete chasing McD's all americans against the likes of Duke / UK / UNC - is having a good foundation. Probation screwed us in that regard by reducing the # of scholarships we had available, and that was exacerbated by having several key misses on guys we targeted [Green to UK, Bryant to Indiana, even Tucker to Duke / Golden to Butler]. Would those guys have made a difference here? We'll never know. But I believe [my opinion only] that the last couple of years would have unfolded completely differently if we'd landed the lead guard we coveted in Quade, or Bryant back in 2016, or even Stewart last year].
I'm willing to bet that in 2-3 years, we're going to look back at JGIII, Edwards, JBA, Kadary, Newton, etc. and recognize that these two classes were really important foundational pieces of the puzzle vis a vis restocking the coffers. And if Dior and any other higher rated guys ever make it to the hill and suit up, their superior prowess will be enhanced by already having a talented nucleus of capable players who are program guys surrounding them.
Just my two cents.