Originally Posted by
Mudge
If more of the very best players come to college for 3-4 years, Duke is likely to get more of the very best players again, by virtue of having the highest profile coach in the sport-- it is fairly well known that Kobe Bryant would have attended Duke, had he gone to college; I have heard credible rumors that LeBron James would have done the same. Who would you like to have had over the last half-decade, a period when UNC surpassed Duke with Hansborough, Felton, and Lawson-- Hansborough or LeBron James (who is less than 1 year older than Hansborough)? How about Raymond Felton or Shaun Livingston (1 year younger than Felton)? How about Tywon Lawson or John Wall (3 years younger than Lawson), assuming that Wall perhaps makes a different decision about Duke, knowing how Duke/Krzyzewski feel about one-year players, if he is planning to be in college more than one year?
Suddenly, Duke is likely to be right there with (perhaps even ahead of) UNC, for the best recruits, if it becomes normal for the best HS players to go to college for 3-4 years again. We could reasonably hope for the return of the 1998-2003 golden era (that was undermined by the Brand/Avery/Maggette early departures) when Duke had better talent than anyone in the country.