3 of our top 4 guards last year when we won it all were transfers, and we got two more this year. It is probably a pattern that we will follow in the years ahead. There is an obvious advantage to taking players who are older and who have a resume of performance against college and university programs. It certainly cuts down on the risk factor.
Top level high school guards are welcome, but the emphasis of late has been on players with excellent strokes from the perimeter (Cryer, George, and to a lesser extent, Love). Defense can be taught, and shooting skill can be improved, but a player without a perimeter shot by their college years usually are not reliable shooters from the arc for their career. The ones who do develop are often wing players whose best percentages are the result of spot up shots from the corner, where the distance to the hoop is the shortest.
Hunter does not appear to be exceptional from the arc, but for this stage of his career he seems to be competent. That is why I asked for some description of the game of Lewis, since he will overlap with Hunter, and neither seems to be exceptional from the perimeter, but both seem to possess good athleticism and be capable of scoring in several ways, while defending well.
We became accustomed last year for our perimeter players to be top level defenders and 40% plus shooters from the arc, a deadly and highly desirable player. Love is in that category, and George, while noted for his shooting and finishing at the rim, has shown in the games I have watched, all high level competition. both domestic and international, that his defense is more than adequate. Hunter may develop to the level of overall play that is now characteristic of this program, and Lewis seems to have the reputation for it, but I have not seen enough of either to comment further on it, and that is why I have enquired of Ashley about it.