Originally Posted by
SouthernDukie
And the kind of sad thing is that, excluding Jeremy, the freshmen that should be leaving based on performance (not potential) from this season are Flip, Proctor, Mitchell... and then Whitehead (injuries, but was rounding into form) and Lively.
But because of 'potential' Lively and Whitehead are 100% gone, and the guys that *might* have stayed another year have done so well they will probably go too. And once again, the bottom line is that it leaves the cup pretty bare for Duke. Oh sure, we'll have new stud freshmen to fill in, but the consistency that most of us miss in this OAD era will once again be out the door. It's great for the players, but I'd argue it's not so great for the long-term progress of the different Duke teams. And it's certainly frustrating for many of us as we often lose in the tournament to teams with more cohesion and also don't form bonds with upperclassmen like we used to.
To put it straight - I LOATHE the OAD era. Yes, I have greatly enjoyed some of the players that have come thru (Zion, cough-cough). But the overall phenomenon I have not liked in the least. And it especially sucks that the team down the road continually seems to keep their guys and build stronger teams. It just stinks.