(02-24-2014 05:25 PM)BearcatMan Wrote: we've really had a problem developing talent too, but that's all a matter of perspective.
I can't agree with that - off the top of my head, cash, bishop, SK, JJ, jaquan, and dixon all improved big time, in their last two years particularly.
I think it's a function of the type of player Mick has had to recruit. The now famous story is how he was there to scout Brandon Knight when he noticed JJ. It doesn't take much coaching for a Knight, or Wiggins, or even a Lance to show up and start making an impact. When it's a guy that's as under the radar as Dixon or JJ or SK, they need time to develop, particularly when it's defense that governs how much game time they earn, and you run complex defense sets.
I don't know for sure that all those players wouldn't have developed as well, or even better someplace else, but they did develop. And IMO I'd rather have a program like that, with the special talents sprinkled in very lightly. The Marquettes, Villanovas, and Pitts of the world do very nicely by recruiting mid tier guys and developing them, and they're competitive year in and year out. Meanwhile, unless you're Kansas, UK, or Duke, reloading with one and dones is not a guarantee. UNC, UCLA, and others routinely go through down periods when those guys don't work out.