It’s too bad we couldn’t avoid this, but everyone saw it coming.

With Horn’s departure, former Topper signees Brian Narcisse and Ronald Nored followed suit, officially broke from their National Letters-of-Intent to come and play for Western, and are attending other schools.

Before that, all three of Horn’s assistants jumped on the bandwagon to join him at South Carolina.

At this point, new head coach Ken McDonald has been able to keep incoming freshman Jameson Tipping from departing, but Tipping alone won’t satisfy if the Toppers want to compete right away.

So it’s time to play everyone’s favorite game show, “Transition on the Hill.”

To play, you have two options behind two doors:

Door No.1: Take the upcoming season as a rebuilding year: McDonald hires a few upcoming assistants he knows who need a job, grabs a few one-star recruits who previously were being sought after by NAIA and Division III schools, uses what he has and prays that it all adds up to at least a .500 season and hope everyone understands.

Door No. 2: Take the higher road: He grabs the assistants rumored to be aching for the job, nabs a few prospects no one saw coming (something Horn was very good at) and aims for a sixth-straight 20-win season and maybe an NIT berth.

I’m assuming by McDonald’s pedigree and glowing resume, he’ll choose option 2.

Go and get those top assistants. Make sure they have Western ties, winning resumes and recruiting roots in the talent-laden regions such as the South and Midwest.

Former Topper great David Boyden is said to possibly make a return as an assistant. Ray Harper coached NAIA-powerhouse Oklahoma City University to back-to-back NAIA national titles the past two seasons, and is the former head man at Kentucky Wesleyan, where he won two NCAA Division II titles. It’s hoped that McDonald digs into those Clemson days to possibly bring in that third assistant who can recruit in the South.

Recruits may be a little harder to come by with the signing periods long gone.

Let’s say Tipping stays, knowing his former high school teammate D.J. Magley is still on the Topper roster.

If McDonald got Kevin Durant to Texas, he can do something of that sort for Western, though it might have to come the junior college route (no Joemal Campbells need apply).

Find that Juco gem no one saw, mainly at the forward spot, or possibly find that undersized, under-recruited high school forward that can contribute immediately.

It is a shame that McDonald was unable to keep Nored and Narcisse, but it will take a lot to be able to live up to Horn’s recruiting knowledge. You know he didn’t do too bad when the schools these kids decided to switch to were NCAA tournament teams last season (Nored to Butler, Narcisse to Clemson).

This season will be the test of McDonald’s true fiber Unlike Horn, who inherited Antonio Haynes, Anthony Winchester, Mike Wells and a cast of sure-fire all-Sun Belt picks, McDonald won’t have the pleasure of coaching the likes of Courtney Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Ty Rogers.

He’ll have a roster of talented players, but not automatic impact players.

So play the game, coach. Which door will you pick?

Sorry though, no new car included. A great start to a head coaching career should suffice.

Reach David Harten at sports@chherald.com.