I think the question...which way was better is valid?
Early on Barnes was compared to Bruce Pearl, Ben Howland, and Avery Johnson as they were all hired the same year except Pear who was 1 year sooner. Those 3 coaches were consistently pointed to as examples of why Barnes wasnt successful on the recruiting trail, now that we have had 2-3 years to judge lets look back...
Rick Barnes Tennessee: 57-44 overall, 27-27 SEC record, 7th place avg. SEC finish, 1 NCAAT appearance.
Ben Howland Mississippi State: 55-45 overall, 22-32 SEC record, 10th place avg. SEC finish, 0 NCAAT appearances.
Recruiting:
Malik Newman ***** transferred after 1 season
Quindarry Weatherspoon ****
Aric Holman ****
Schnider Herard **** transfers after 1 season
Mario Kegler **** transfers after 1 season
Eli Wright **** transfer after 1 season
Tyson Carter ****
Lamar Peters **** suspended multiple times
Abdul Ado **** ineligible 1st season
Nick Weatherspoon****
Avery Johnson Alabama: 57-46 overall, 26-28 SEC record, 8th place avg. SEC finish, 1 NCAAT appearance.
Recruiting:
Braxton Key **** transferred after 2nd season
ArMond Davis **** transferred after 1st season
Collin Sexton ***** one and done to NBA
John Petty ****
Alex Reese ****
Bruce Pearl Auburn: 70-62 overall, 29-43 SEC record, 9th place avg. SEC finish, 1 NCAAT appearance.
Recruiting:
Trayvon Reed **** dismissed after 1 season
Cinmeon Bowers ****
Horace Spencer ****
Danjel Purifoy **** ineligible amid FBI investigation
TJ Dunans ****
Mustapha Heron ***** unexpectedly leaves for NBA after 2nd year
Austin Wiley **** ineligible amid FBI investigation
Jared Harper ****
Chuma Okeke ****
Davion Mitchell **** transferred after 1 season
So by my count 14/25 or 56%, of 4 & 5 stars recruited to those 3 schools ended up transferring, leaving early for NBA, or were ruled ineligible. So sure, Tennessee could have gotten some guys ranked similarly, but would those guys have been better for the program long term than say the Jalen Johnsons, John Fulkersons or Yves Pons? This isnt a debate Im looking to have over whether we need to recruit better, or if Barnes and staff are changing their philosophy etc. this is something completely different and Im just looking at it because it was a popular point being made 2-3 years ago.
Another aspect of it that I havent dove into is what is the shape of each team for next year as well? Mississippi State looks like a likely Top 25 team, Alabama is a bit unknown, I think theyll be similar to what they were this year, however Auburn looks like theyve been decimated and Im not sure what theyre going to put out there...meanwhile Tennessee appears set to be ranked Top 10 preseason and unless something unexpected happens should be ranked for most of the season which would threaten the school record for most consecutive weeks ranked.