Originally Posted by
dcdevil2009
Most important to the program? No. More important to Duke's success last year than Scheyer was in years one through three? Probably. Scheyer was an All American his senior year and runner up for ACC player of the year. If Austin had been either of those things, I'd argue that he would have been more important to the team than some of the upperclassman. I just think it's tough to say a one and done isn't as important as a four year player when the four year guy's best season is better than the one and done's only season. What if it were something like Dunleavy v. Brand, where one had a higher peak, but the other was there for longer? I'm not sure if I'd give Dunleavy the nod as more important just because he stayed longer.
Having said that, if Parker can come in and play at an AA level, like Kyrie would have been without getting hurt, then I can see him or any other one and done being the most important player to the program on that year's team. Weren't Kyrie, Austin, Deng, and Maggette all the most important recruits to the program from their respective classes? Neither of them were more important than Singler, Hill, Battier, etc., but I think their contributions during their relatively short time on campus were more important to the Duke program than the contributions of many good players over the course of their entire four year careers. I'm not saying we should indiscriminately recruit one and dones, but if a guy is talented enough to be one and done and has the character to fit into the Duke family, then I support Coach K going after him and don't think it's hyperbole to say that he is the most important recruit in his class for the Duke program.