This was always the problem with a one-and-done strategy to try to win titles. You *have* to get ELITE talent - the kids who are physically ready to take over a game at the college level, not get pushed around by experienced players who are physical, and are so talented they just beat the other team straight up, even if their coach is sub-par managing the games and (not) making adjustments. Wall/Cousins, Knight, AD/MKG, KAT, Fox/Monk/Bam, Randle level players.Yeah, you can look at it multiple ways, but in reality, Cal is the best at recruiting HS talent (now that K is gone). The problem is, these kids look great against HS talent, but there are too many unknowns with them, in my opinion, to believe that the one-and-done system is the best way to run a program.
Most of these kids aren't polished enough, tough enough or physical enough to compete at this level, even if he had the perfect balance, it's still a disadvantage to put a bunch of HS kids on a court against any team you would see in the sweet 16 and beyond.
Cal is no dummy, he obviously knows this, so my question to him would be, why are you sticking with the one and done method when it clearly isn't working?
He’s not a good enough coach for either method, in order for him to win, a perfect storm of events would need to happen, like what happened in 11/12 with the NBA lockout, a transcendent player and a generational player.
Hopefully the 23/24 season is his last.
Guys who were highly ranked (top 10 or 15) but not at that level -- think guys like Kevin Knox, Wenyen Gabriel, Chris Livingston, TyTy Washington -- weren't going to be enough to overcome Cal's game management flaws, the experience of other teams, talent of other teams, etc.
And then there were plenty of "busts" relatively speaking -- top 10 recruits that just looked great against high school competition, but were nowhere near ready to dominate at the next level as a freshman (e.g., Boston, Clarke (RIP), Skal, the Dragon, EJ ...).
The one and done model required Cal to get 3-4 top 10 players for that incoming team, mixed with role players like Patrick Patterson or Darius Miller ... even Dominique Hawkins or Derek Willis (at times). He has the first part for next season ... but will he have the second? It's going to require serious work in the transfer portal, clearly.