I see where you come from. While TSJ and Mayer did have expanded role comparing to them in their previous schools, I don't think they were over their heads. They were simply not as good as Ayo and Kofi in terms of scoring consistency/when needed but that's a tall bar. The theory last year was collectively they could still be a better team due to talents at more positions. However, things kind of fell apart and people blamed the freshmen PG play at the end of the season. I think that's true but new teams need time to gel is also a factor. So now we have a chance to verify/validate that theory and supposedly it all hinges on the PG we will be getting.
I think TSJ really came through. He's not a perfect alpha, but he exceeded the level he was at for the Red Raiders. Meyer, on the other hand, was every bit the mixed bag I mentioned. I will forever love his skillset. He also inarguably won us games last season. Unfortunately, despite being given the bigger role, he remained every bit as inconsistent as he was at Baylor. From early foul trouble to contested threes, it just wasn't quite what we needed.
Then there were the freshmen. Again, some exceeded expectations, some were right around what you'd expect, then one couldn't last an entire season. Unfortunately, the one that couldn't last was the one we really needed to come good. I don't think Skyy deserves all the blame. There's plenty of that to go around as Coleman has alluded to in interviews. Ultimately, I totally understand what the staff was going for last year. We saw glimpses of what could have been, but they were mostly in brief spurts, not even full games.
This year, we're bringing in experienced guys to do what they've already proven they can do. Quincy is a former All-ACC player, that's shown he can handle a starting role for a high-major squad. Marcus has been an all-everything player, that we can plug in where and when needed. Justin showed in the NIT this year he can handle either guard position and he's going to be coming off the bench.
All in all, the recalibration makes sense to me. Yeah, this team will need time to gel, but I trust fifth-year seniors with substantial college experience to be able to do it better than freshmen and a couple of guys that had never had to be leaders.