But it would be foolish to anoint either Grobe or Prosser as perenial coach of the year candidates just yet, as it would be premature to call Wellman's work a success. Both Grobe and Prosser enjoyed successful first seasons, but the foundations for those seasons were layed by their predecessors. Which begs a the-chicken-or-the-egg type question: was it the talent of the athletes recruited by Caldwell and Odom that was responsible for the achievements of the football and basketball teams this past year, or was it the allocation of that talent by Grobe and Prosser that brought about the success on the field and the hardwood?

Of course, it will be several years before this question is answered, although initially, the former suggestion seems perfectly feasible. All of the primary contributors on this year's football team were Caldwell recruits; Tarance Williams, James McPherson, Calvin Pace, Vince Azzolina, Nate Bolling, John Stone, Fabian Davis, Jason Anderson, and a host of others. The same goes for the basketball team - Prosser started four seniors and junior Josh Howard for most of the season, all of which were brought here by Odom.

But the latter possibility is just as viable. The wealth of offensive line depth that Caldwell amassed was fully utilized by Grobe, who employed an offense that accentuated a quick-hitting running game. Grobe rotated his linemen throughout the game, dually keeping his guys fresh and wearing down opposing defenses at the same time. Grobe and his staff took advantage of the pure speed of guys like Stone and Davis, both receivers, in the running game, getting the ball in the hands of his playmakers as often as possible. And Grobe and defensive coordinator Dean Hood scrapped their 3-4 defense midway through the season for one that featured five defensive backs, choosing to play as much of the young talent they had as possible.

Prosser also structured his team around the talents of his players, discarding the slovenly style of Odom for the uptempo game for which Howard, Broderick Hicks and Antwan Scott were better suited. The Deacon offense - under Odom, the same high-post offense that he had used with Tim Duncan - went from slow and sporadic to one of the most potent in the nation, by simply loosening the reins on the offensive talent.

The only real resolution to the question - and the primary determinant of the success of Grobe, Prosser, and ultimately Wellman - will be found once each coach has the opportunity to install his system with his players. Prosser is already well on his way, as he has inked a five-man class for next year that includes only the school's third McDonald's All-American, forward/center Eric Williams, since the inception of the high school all-star game 25 years ago.

The class also features a pair of players, guards Justin Gray and Richard Joyce, from Oak Hill Academy, one of the top high school teams in the country. One of the best incoming classes in school history will ease the departure of five seniors and will be the first group that Prosser can mold to his specifications. Grobe brings an equally impressive class to Winston-Salem in the fall, headlined by linebacker Bryan Andrews, the Deacs' first Parade All-American since 1984.

But as each coach recruits their type of players to insert in their system, ACC opponents and other foes will be better prepared for the game plans of Grobe and Prosser. Teams will become more proficient at stopping Grobe's no-huddle offense and handling hordes of cutblocking offensive linemen, and Prosser's clever out-of-bounds plays will cease to be a surprise. It's a Catch-22; as Grobe and Prosser get more comfortable in their new positions, enemy coaches become more comfortable with the looks they will see from the Deacs. It is here, finally, that we will see if Wellman chose wisely during his five-month reshaping of Demon Deacon athletics. For Wellman's selections to be deemed a success, Grobe and Prosser will have show consistent improvement from the state that each program was left when they arrived.

Grobe will have to string together multiple winning seasons. Prosser's teams will have too few Selection Sunday as a mere formality, and plan to make noise in the NCAA tournament, year in and year out.

Both Grobe and Prosser are off to good starts; if asked last year at this time to quantify their expectations for their opening seasons with the Deacons, each would have been hard pressed to predict a better start to their careers than they would engineer. But Caldwell had periodic success, and Odom routinely guided his teams to the postseason.

Improvement upon that is what Grobe and Prosser need to achieve, and therefore it will take several seasons - not just one - to gauge success. Only then will we know for sure if Wellman and the university have struck it rich.