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Message: [QUOTE="champs99and04, post: 1984763, member: 488"] Now this is a discussion we haven't had before. [USER=705]@Brochacho[/USER] it is interesting that you bring up UNC (well, I guess somebody else brought it up first). Your point is well made, but there might be more common ground there than you think; Harrison Barnes was really their last big time recruit, and the 2013, '14, and '15 seasons - during which they only won four tournament games and were never considered a legitimate contender - evoked much panic among UNC fans. Kids like Jackson, Meeks, Berry, etc. weren't exactly scrubs, but the North Carolina brand had lost some cache and been supplanted by Duke, Kentucky, and even Kansas as a destination for top ten players. Certainly, there is no equivalency there - North Carolina, even during those three years, was nationally relevant, and there is no comparison between them and UConn as far as history and tradition go. It does reflect, though, how college basketball - especially in the one and done era - is cyclical. The Hairston/Tokoto class was a bit of a whiff, relatively speaking, and because they couldn't beat Kentucky or Duke on the trail, it took them a coupe years to return to dominance. The same could have been said of 'Nova a few years prior, and they're probably a more attainable model. The Brimah/Purvis/Facey class hasn't worked out, but that happens, even at the best programs, and there is typically a lag period between when poor play starts at a program and when it starts to be recognized by recruits. We've got at least another couple years before we reach that point, IMO. The one disclaimer that I think is necessary is that I do not expect UConn to ever be as good, at large, as they were under Calhoun. That's just basic probability, though. You're not supposed to lose one of the greats ever and remain at the same level, and if we did - which is possible - we would be the exception and not the rule. All you can ask of Ollie at this point is that he keep us in the mix, and given the level of parity in college basketball, there is no reason to think he will not do that. [/QUOTE]

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