I actually think it's better if Yawke isn't cleared this year. Team will be more ready to compete next season.
But how will it look for Chris Mullin if he wins 7 games this year? I think it's easier to dismiss an experienced coach in a situation like that and not bother to consider the inherited roster and state of the program's incoming talent.
He needs enough talent to show that he can coach. Otherwise how can recruits see what they are committing to?
Say LoVett doesn't clear, for argument's sake...
Mussini
Ron MV
DJ
Darien Williams
Sima
Ellison
Amar
Felix.....
We should still win our share of games.
This staff will maximize the talent available and go from there.
and then we are feeding Ponds, Yakwe, Freudenberg,Ahmed hopefully... that's the blueprint, with Owens next year also as a big.
the home run class could include Maker & Alkins -- nice to fantacize.
Which is better:
Mussini, Ron, DJ, Williams and Sima or Hill, Lawrence, Jackson, Gray and Hamilton?
Is this a serious question? Mussini, Williams and Sima have way more upside than any one of those players mentioned from that past team. I barely remember that past group and for good reason. Even from Day 1, I'd still take the current group over that one.
Lets be clear. As recruits Showtime and Hamilton were perceived to have much higher ceilings than anyone that will play for STJ this year even if Lovett does qualify. But the exercise was which team would be more likely to achieve more wins. The year the OP is referring to Showtime and Hamilton were sophs and the other 3 frosh. I am hopeful that the experience Durand and Mawookie, and to a lesser extent Williams and Balamou, bring will help this team a lot. The only upper classmen on the other team were Epperson who was gone after 7 games, Diakite who barely played due to injury, Missere who was a walkon, and Special FX who was what he was in college. There will be exponentially more minutes played by Jr/Sr/20+ year olds on this year's team.
I think it is debatable. Lamont Hamilton's RSCI was 118. That is very similar to Ellison, who is ranked in the top 100 by 247 sports in spite of missing the summer before his senior season. Showtime was only ranked by one service if memory serves me correctly -- albeit in the top 30 -- and was not top 150 RSCI nor did he ever appear on mock drafts. Lovett is #76 RSCI and was top 25 for three years. Yakwe would clearly be top 100 RSCI had he not reclassified in the 11th hour.
I think if you asked good NBA scouts who had the best NBA potential off all of the names above entering college, the answer would likely be Ellison even though he's not the flashiest. There is nothing that disqualifies him from a skill, size, or talent standpoint.
The most important thing to remember about that old squad was who was coaching. There is no guarantee Mullin will be better, but he can't possibly be worse.