But would they be able to bring in these same level of players, or would we be back to the Norm years (waiting 5 years to have a team that can win 20 games and dance). That is the million dollar question and why I think there is some hesitancy on the part of those who criticize Lavin (like myself), are not happy with the constant drama, but acknowledge the talent level he has brought. Would the Hurleys, Mass, or Miller get a kid like Brandon Sampson from Louisiana?
As I've told Baldi, as big of a Lavin supporter as I've been, I am sick of the constant drama, player conduct issues, and the fact that he took off the 2014 recruiting to the point where our bench is so barren that JDR will be playing meaningful minutes in a tourney game (no knock on the kid, but he wasn't a contributor at FIU). Yes this happens at other schools, but other schools have guys off the bench who are either good or develop to become solid role players. It is going to piss me off to no end when San Diego St. is playing catch on the offensive glass because we have no front court simply because of one player's transgressions. That should not be happening.
I think those in Lavin's camp believe that if we lose him we are going back to the Norm years. I don't buy that. If the school is willing to commit resources -- and Lavin has showed that even some success will get fans in the seats at the Garden and Carnecessa - we can get a guy who can recruit balanced rosters and coach em up. Every coach before Norm - Jarvis, Fran, Mahoney -- pulled in some very good players. I have to believe this job is attractive enough to get a good candidate who will do the same, without all of the nonsense we've been dealing with as a fan base.
And I don't buy the argument that Lavin and the staff shouldn't have seen this coming. Anyone who watched Harkless play his first 10 games as a frosh knew that he was lasting, at most, to his sophomore year (and that was being optimistic). It was likewise very easy to see last season that Jakar declaring early was a distinct possibility. If Christian Jones cant play at this level, he should have been told that there are other programs in which he can play more, and we should have grabbed a JUCO or two to provide depth in case of an injury or conduct issues (especially with what transpired with Chris last year).