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Message: [QUOTE="billsin01, post: 1731695, member: 837"] And, for the record, yes I absolutely agree that the key is bringing in those guys to supplement while still making runs at elite talent. I think what's interesting with the class we just brought in is that all three kids -- and I know Richardson was pretty easily the most highly regarded -- were able to contribute meaningfully as frosh. So that helps immensely not only in terms of personnel issues and holes we needed to fill, but also in terms of potentially making a run in March, which we did. The key to making the run is that even if both Lydon and Richardson left, at least you'd have a final 4 to hang your hat on (though my soul would be crushed by their departures, but that's neither here nor there). So finding that young talent outside of the top 25 or 30 that has enough polish to contribute is big but, I'd argue, so is JB's ability to work these guys in. We've seen guys with a lot of talent start out very slowly in terms of minutes. I wonder if we need to change that? I don't say that JB is wrong in riding his starters (an argument for a different thread), but because these guys need to be able to contribute earlier if they are going to leave early (even if it's not for the NBA). I wonder if we saw a bit of a shift in that thinking this year with Franky Howard? I know we had no depth but it wasn't like he got nominal minutes to give guys breathers either. So a guy who went from logging 5 minutes total in four games in the Bahamas and then spent almost the entirety of the first four ACC games on the bench (two DNPs and 5 mpg in each of the other two games), ended up playing 17 minutes in the win over gonzaga in the NCAAs, 18 minutes in a must-win game vs. Pitt in the ACC tournament and 9 minutes in a brutal battle from behind vs. UVA. And those minutes came with Cooney playing (arguably) the best basketball player of his career at the 2, Silent G locking things down at PG and Richardson emerging as arguably the best creator on the floor. Anyway, it will be interesting to watch b/c JB has shifted recruiting philosophies a few times in his tenure and this feels like another of those moments. [/QUOTE]

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