I actually would NOT want to pick my team mates, and, if I did, would certainly not want to pick a bunch who were already in the stocks or niches I was in.
I probably already have a dialog with those people, publicly on the boards or via PM, about those stocks and niches.
What I want out of PSL is ideas that I would not think of myself. I want new ideas, and would like some diversification for my team.
I take the universe of stocks picked by my teammates (4 teammates x 6 stocks, less duplicates) and get a universe of 15-24 stocks to follow, some of which I already lknow of, others new. This is List 1.
List 2 is the same thing using 4 other VMC-ers whose results have been good or whose thinking I really like or can relate to (pick your own favorites).
List 3 is results-driven--the top 10-15 stocks after a week into the contest. Let Mr. market pick them.
Excluding duplicates from these lists, that gives me maybe 40 stocks, including maybe 15-20 new-to-me ideas, to look into. This is a practical way of getting a focus on a manageable number of stocks, rather than the several hundred in the contest.