Last season’s recruiting, I had 5 spots to fill and needed just about every position... but I cast my net too wide and ended up running out of Scouting budget. A couple of my recruits I was on early and excited for were only scouted to Level 2. Then when I rescinded Sim players on my team I was able to scout them further in the 2nd Session... and was disappointed in potentials.

My question is what are some of your strategies to get the highest amount of useful recruits scouted to levels 3 and 4?

First of all, never put effort into a recruit you haven't fully scouted unless it's a last resort.

I can go into specifics about what I do, but here's a few basics I quickly jotted down, and I'd be happy to hear other coaches thoughts and elaborate further or discuss strategies.

-Focus first on local recruits first. Scouting some further states is fine, and you can put limited AP into them in recruiting, but it's usually not a good idea to battle for the further recruits, so you'll want local options.
-Scout DI as much, if not more than DII. To add on to the previous point, if you do scout states further from you, better to do it for DI than DII, because if there is a DII recruit of value, there is more likely to be a battle vs. some DI recruits that are below the level of DI humans and you can get without only AP.
- After you've scouted states or attended camps, don't scout past level 1 for any recruit that is a D in athleticism or defense, unless they are B or better in the other (and then only maybe because I find ath/def are correlated to an extent). Coaches obviously value different attributes, but if you haven't learned this yet, players with bad Ath are not good for your team.
-Don't focus on what the player's level 1 offensive rating is. It's an added plus if it's C or better, but players could have great potential you wouldn't see at level 1.
-Scout all players that have B or better in Ath. Then look at C at recruits and prioritize those with higher-level 2 Def, then Off.
Once you are at level 2, you'll have a better idea of what attributes you want to focus on, but still don't put additional scouting effort into recruits that are D in at or def.
-As you get to each level, you have more information to start making better decisions from there.

Two things that I do:

1) Try to stagger my classes such that I'm only recruiting guards one season, and forwards the next. That way, I can spend my scouting money such that I'm only concentrating on one position and can get more depth of recruits at that position.

2) I've come to use assistant coach scouting exclusively. This season, my D2 team had resources for four recruits, and I was able to scout 144 players to level 4 with $4k left over for second session recruiting. Start local (100 miles), then progressively work out further until your scouting money is spent, or you reach the limit you want to save for session 2.

Posted by dan2044 on 11/19/2020 7:41:00 PM (view original):
First of all, never put effort into a recruit you haven't fully scouted unless it's a last resort.

I can go into specifics about what I do, but here's a few basics I quickly jotted down, and I'd be happy to hear other coaches thoughts and elaborate further or discuss strategies.

-Focus first on local recruits first. Scouting some further states is fine, and you can put limited AP into them in recruiting, but it's usually not a good idea to battle for the further recruits, so you'll want local options.
-Scout DI as much, if not more than DII. To add on to the previous point, if you do scout states further from you, better to do it for DI than DII, because if there is a DII recruit of value, there is more likely to be a battle vs. some DI recruits that are below the level of DI humans and you can get without only AP.
- After you've scouted states or attended camps, don't scout past level 1 for any recruit that is a D in athleticism or defense, unless they are B or better in the other (and then only maybe because I find ath/def are correlated to an extent). Coaches obviously value different attributes, but if you haven't learned this yet, players with bad Ath are not good for your team.
-Don't focus on what the player's level 1 offensive rating is. It's an added plus if it's C or better, but players could have great potential you wouldn't see at level 1.
-Scout all players that have B or better in Ath. Then look at C at recruits and prioritize those with higher-level 2 Def, then Off.
Once you are at level 2, you'll have a better idea of what attributes you want to focus on, but still don't put additional scouting effort into recruits that are D in at or def.
-As you get to each level, you have more information to start making better decisions from there.

On second thought. You can probably ignore my point about recruiting more DI recruits. That's probably personal preference based on how you recruit.

Posted by tecwrg on 11/19/2020 7:46:00 PM (view original):
Two things that I do:

1) Try to stagger my classes such that I'm only recruiting guards one season, and forwards the next. That way, I can spend my scouting money such that I'm only concentrating on one position and can get more depth of recruits at that position.

2) I've come to use assistant coach scouting exclusively. This season, my D2 team had resources for four recruits, and I was able to scout 144 players to level 4 with $4k left over for second session recruiting. Start local (100 miles), then progressively work out further until your scouting money is spent, or you reach the limit you want to save for session 2.

I disagree with both of these points.

1. Don't limit yourself. When there are good players, you need to find them. Don't miss out because they don't fit the position of that season. Plus if you don't need to run a 12 man rotation, recruit the best players and let them grow.

2. Assistant coach search is not an efficient way to spend money. If you are using it for close distance players, you might as well scout all the states near you for cheaper and have control over who you see.

The best part of this question is if you ask 20 people how they scout D2 you'll probably get 20 different answers. If I'm in the NY area my strategy differs greatly than if I'm in, say, Nebraska, because there are SO many more recruits in the NE part of the country to scout.

Regardless, I look at my budget, figure out what my 500 mile radius is and roughly how many recruits are within that 500 mile radius. If I can get most or all of them to L4, I usually do so. If I have leftover money (depending on how much), I'll either go international, widen my radius to 750 miles, or maybe scout a state or 2 that have lots of JUCOs.

Scouting D2 vs D1 is personal preference. I think most coaches only scout D1 kids at D2 but again, personal preference.

To one of Tec's points-if I'm running low on funds or will come up short getting most of my kids to L4, I may use my assistant and uncheck one of the 5 positions (usually SF, but only because I run press and would have no issue throwing a G or quicker PF into the 3, if needed).

This is what I do. Although I am switching it up a little this year, just out of boredom. I’ll report back when I’m done.

Posted by tecwrg on 11/19/2020 7:46:00 PM (view original):
Two things that I do:

1) Try to stagger my classes such that I'm only recruiting guards one season, and forwards the next. That way, I can spend my scouting money such that I'm only concentrating on one position and can get more depth of recruits at that position.

2) I've come to use assistant coach scouting exclusively. This season, my D2 team had resources for four recruits, and I was able to scout 144 players to level 4 with $4k left over for second session recruiting. Start local (100 miles), then progressively work out further until your scouting money is spent, or you reach the limit you want to save for session 2.

I'm not a fan of point #1 myself either. I agree it's an excellent way to be efficient with your scouting budget. But i don't feel it's the best way to build your team. Sometimes, this class setup happens to me just by chance, and i am always disappointed with the situation. Like right now at my Va St team in Wooden, I have two Srs and they're both bigs. My two Sr bigs are elite and that's great. But my guards are so bad that I'm basically throwing in the towel and redshirting one of those Sr bigs to pair with my Jr class so I have some balance next season and can make a run at title.

I really don't mind too much if this style plays out every 4 seasons or so, just by chance. Because you're right, it's efficient for scouting/recruiting. But I have never liked my team makeup as far as competing when a class like this comes up.

I also feel like the opponents are looking at my team in reverse when this happens. "He's got great guard play this season. But his bigs are weak. I'm attacking the paint". Also, I often start freshman. I got backed into starting two freshman bigs on my NKU roster (due to recruiting blunders and lost rolls and having to scramble). I went into the season expecting a F4 roster. But instead I've been getting hammered all season in the paint and getting out rebounded. If I was starting 1 freshman guard and 1 big instead, it's a much easier situation to manage.

Agree Top

Posted by shoe3 on 11/20/2020 12:24:00 AM (view original):
This is what I do. Although I am switching it up a little this year, just out of boredom. I’ll report back when I’m done.

Read this advice. Then read it again if you don't quite understand. It's important to maximize your scouting budget in the most efficient manner, particularly for rebuilds and lower prestiges. Finding those hidden gems and being flexible with backup options during recruiting is huge.

I also follow the Shoe strategy. For D2, I try to get 75/25% split of D1/D2 players.

Regarding the "only recruit guards or posts" strategy, I do a slight variation on this. I will recruit all very local players (do not want to miss a gem in my backyard) but then as I work my way out I often do all guards or all posts. I prefer balanced classes (1 guard and 1 post every year and 1 SF every other year), so I really, really like strategy of taking 2 posts or 2 guards every other year. This allows me to redshirt the more developmental prospect. Reasons I like this strategy:

1) If I lose a recruiting battle, it affects my next season significantly less because I still have the direct positional need filled.
2) It keeps me using the redshirt function, which if you arent running press, I think is one of the most important developmental tools in the game.
3) You can focus your scouting on a particular subset of players.

Thank you for the ideas... very helpful! But maybe picking up a D2 Hawaii team was a mistake. Haha. Yikes!

A D2 Hawaii team locks you into a scouting strategy. You obviously need to scout D1 Hawaii every year and it doesn't hurt to scout D2 guys there either. You'll have a distinct advantage over everyone from the mainland. You'll probably want to also scout D1 internationals, as you'll be on even footing with everyone else. That means you'll have to scout the D1 top 100, also.

I would do as tecwrg suggests above: scout guards and maybe SFs one season, and big men and SFs the next. Now you're only looking at needing to scout 60 D1 Top100 guys that you'll likely have no shot at. If you have some extra money after that, add in other states that might be underutilized in D2 and D1 (Montana, Wyoming, Florida, Maine, Canada), and go after three positions there also.

There are a number of folks who have been successful in Hawaii in D2 and D1 - don't give up too early.

Posted by texashick on 11/20/2020 12:33:00 PM (view original):
I also follow the Shoe strategy. For D2, I try to get 75/25% split of D1/D2 players.

Regarding the "only recruit guards or posts" strategy, I do a slight variation on this. I will recruit all very local players (do not want to miss a gem in my backyard) but then as I work my way out I often do all guards or all posts. I prefer balanced classes (1 guard and 1 post every year and 1 SF every other year), so I really, really like strategy of taking 2 posts or 2 guards every other year. This allows me to redshirt the more developmental prospect. Reasons I like this strategy:

1) If I lose a recruiting battle, it affects my next season significantly less because I still have the direct positional need filled.
2) It keeps me using the redshirt function, which if you arent running press, I think is one of the most important developmental tools in the game.
3) You can focus your scouting on a particular subset of players.

I agree with most of this. Only thing I don't worry about "as much" is not missing out on a local kid. Sure, I do scout close to home and of course it's cheaper to recruit that way. But I don't really care if my players come from anywhere and everywhere in D2 or D1. As long as I get the best talent I can. I've noticed at Louisville (the world where you and I often cross paths), all those local kids go to UK. So I'm forced to branch out a bit

Edit.... I thought I was responding to "basketts". Not sure I cross paths with Texaschick ever. My error

i have to agree that only recruiting guards or bigs in a given season sounds catastrophic. i get that recruiting is hard and crutches are needed to grapple with it over time, to get over certain humps and whatnot. but long term, team building remains the most important part of the game and the primary difference maker between good and great coaches. totally hamstringing yourself there (only recruiting guards every other season, i can't even imagine!), to simplify recruiting, man i just can't get behind that even as a temporary crutch. maybe if you are at hawaii. but if you are anywhere else... brutal.