The key with Ollie (and what made this season's finish all the more frustrating) is the talent factor. Sniping over just how good our recruiting actually is aside, last year's class would've been good for #2 in the B1G and B12, and #3 in the ACC. You're someone who's very keen on us competing with the blue bloods, the Dukes and Kentuckys of the world - despite what our frequent arguments may suggest, I'd really like that as well. The only way to do that is to stockpile as much talent as we can given the limitations we're dealing with (i.e. conference and having a 5th year HC recruiting against HOFers like K, Cal, Pitino, etc.). Even if you disagree with me in that you don't think KO's player development and strategic capabilities will improve over time, there's something to be said such that the more talented players you have, the easier it is to mitigate certain weaknesses on the staff.
In my mind, Ollie is pretty clearly the only guy who can recruit as well as he does at an AAC level. And I am quite frightened of what happens when we don't have a 15-year NBA veteran whose unique personal background makes him especially adept at building relationships with prospects and their parents. I've seen a couple of people mention King Rice, the Monmouth guy -- how many Top 100 kids would he be able to pull here? How many McD AAs? The guy can't even make it out of the MAAC tourney. When you say "coaching free market," that's where my mind wonders, and it scares the heck out of me.