Posted by dahsdebater on 3/18/2014 6:09:00 PM (view original):
I'd say this is a fairly good example.  That Cal Poly team isn't bad for a low-major, but it is by no means a strong team.  And the player is weak.  Not starting worked in his favor, as did the schedule.

The player in question probably wouldn't start for my D3 Methodist team.  And he won D1 NPOY.  Partly that's because the criteria for picking the awards are inevitably flawed.  But largely it's because the guy was put in a situation where it would be easy for him to succeed.

Posted by dskadoris on 3/18/2014 10:08:00 PM (view original):

Posted by dahsdebater on 3/18/2014 6:09:00 PM (view original):
I'd say this is a fairly good example.  That Cal Poly team isn't bad for a low-major, but it is by no means a strong team.  And the player is weak.  Not starting worked in his favor, as did the schedule.

The player in question probably wouldn't start for my D3 Methodist team.  And he won D1 NPOY.  Partly that's because the criteria for picking the awards are inevitably flawed.  But largely it's because the guy was put in a situation where it would be easy for him to succeed.

you had me until you said that he wouldn't start for your D3 Methodist team. You are a wonderful coach but I don't think that would be a good decision, not to start him. Yes, you have some outstanding guards for D3 but they are not the shooter he is and overall he is a better player. . The player is weak? Yes, I see your guards are very athletic and speedy but. I do respect your opinion as I know you are a great coach.

Anthony Spiegel Sr. SG 64 70 43 50 35 35 98 48 70 85 96 73 B- 767




Coach, can you tell me where the criteria is flawed? I like to pick your knowledge.

i agree, this guy is a great example (keep in mind i am not suggesting the OP did this intentionally, or did anything underhanded in the slightest). saying this player would not be starting on a top d3 team might go too far, i don't really know, i think he would not start on many d2 teams though, at least, and its basically splitting hairs at that point - bottom line, hes unplayable in major d1 conferences. the fact he got d1 poy at 20ppg, when hes not even starter material for quality mid majors, is a perfect example of how these awards can be manipulated. i think the OP really did a good job making the best use of this player, so he certainly deserves some credit - but this guy is so far behind so many other players, you have to admit its a little ridiculous.

to answer the question about HOW to manipulate - the difference between this player and other players with boosted stats (unintentionally or otherwise), who did not get the national awards, is primarily the record of the team. record has always been heavily weighted in all the simplistic team ranking systems in HD. seble changed seeding to run off projection report but even the old seeding system took record way too seriously. ranking and awards still do, to a great extent. i tend to think its not a particularly pressing issue... given there is little to no importance in these areas - but still, they are very easy to manipulate. you do probably need that 1st round NT appearance, which is the most difficult of all criteria - but still, thats not setting the bar too high. there's a reason there are so few NPOY awards going to the true best players in the country - those players tend to play on great teams with other great players (limiting their scoring), playing against strong opponents (further limiting their scoring, as well as efficiency). so really, you can see the bias in player awards at either end of the spectrum.