Keller seemed like a favor. Nothing more other than a promise to an old friend. No advantage, more cons than could be counted, but we welcomed him with open arms just the way Paulus would have been.
They always look better in our red to some.
The difference is Paulus was a winner, a finisher, a team player. Keller was a mal content, problem child, partier.
Paulus would do every bit as well as Keller and my guess is as well as Zac other than knowledge of the system.
He played at en elite basketball program. He knows the effort required, the dedication and loyalty to make it.
He has the talent and would have had the summer to learn and improve. Ability wise most likely better than Zac, but time in the system would be the thing that gave Zac the advantage. But my guess is he would have been pushed before the season was over.
But I would never have wanted him to show up and play here. We need to establish loyalty to the program and to the players that are paying the price from the beginning. BC destroyed team chemistry with Keller, I am glad Coach Pelini did not pursue Paulus. It shows faith in his players and gives them confidence down the road.
Good luck to him though.