Since everyone else seems to have an opinion about who may or may not be on next year's (and subsequent years') roster, here's my two cents' worth: I hope we have the best quality student athletes (on and off the court) who play well together, who play well in Majerus's system, who stay healthy, and who represent the U as well as the teams have for the past ten years. Do I wish we had more athletic players? Yes, as long as they buy into Majerus's philosophy of disciplined team defense, rebounding, and a motion offense. Do I wish we had more blue-chip recruits? Absolutely, as long as they are willing to sublimate some of their superstar status for the good of the team, and only if they stick around for 3 or 4 years before going pro. Do I wish every one of the 13 scholarship players was capable of starting? Sure, although it's pretty tough to keep everybody happy and keep all the eogs in check when you don't have enough minutes for everyone.
I think Majerus does a pretty good job at handling what has to be a terribly tough task. One the one hand, the guy faces intense pressure to improve the talent level, and, presumably, correspondingly improve the on-court success of the team. On the other hand he has a strong sense of loyalty to the kids he recruits, and in particular those with big hearts and fierce dedication who are trying to follow his instruction and succeed within the team concept. Although I hate to see anyone leave the program for whatever reason because I tend to develop an attachment to anyone who plays for the team, I have to defer to Majerus's decisions. He is the one who gets to see the players every day and who can best judge their current and potential contribution to the team, both from a talent standpoint and a chemistry perspective, and he is the one who has the opportunity to evaluate the talent of prospective recruits, although admittedly based on much less observation time than he gets with his current players. Because he has such a tough job and because he has a lot more information about the players and the team than I do, I really can't second guess his decisions. I can't honestly say the team will be better or worse with or without Mike Puzey or Zelimir Stevanovic or Phil Cullen, or with or without Gary Colbert or Aaron Carr or Chris Huber. That's not to say it isn't fun or interesting to spectulate, but because I really don't know, I can't get too hung up on how the scenarios may play out.
Two final thoughts: As much as I hated to see such proven or potential contributors as Darroll Wright, Ed Johnson, Jimmy Carroll, Ashante Johnson, the 6-8 kid from Kentucky (name escapes me at the moment), David Jackson, Jordie McTavish, Tyson Johnston, Trent Whiting, etc. leave the program early, the team always seems to end up doing o.k., and I have always enjoyed cheering for the team regardless of who was on the roster. Second, none of the players who left ever went on to make such a significant impact somewhere else that I thought to myself "Geez, if ________ were still playing for the Utes, they'd be a lock for the Final Four."
Go Utes!
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