Posted by hughesjr on 2/7/2021 12:15:00 PM (view original):

Posted by utthead on 2/6/2021 12:45:00 AM (view original):
You are better off putting all your minutes into either press or man than you would be trying to run the press/man combo.

Strictly as an exercise in calculations, you may be correct. But in the impact it could have on opponents game planning, maybe not. If your opponent game plans for you to play man and you press, that might tip the outcome.

For example, if they are not deep, press causes more fatigue and minutes by backup players. The fact is.. You can play Man (or zone if that is your second defense), or Press or the combo defense.

The wrinkle that puts into the mix could become important against certain teams and/or coaches.. At least in theory. In practice, we'll see.

The subterfuge aspect is muted a bit because your opponent can see what gameplan you have have set. You can change it up until the sim runs, of course, but that requires trying to get on to switch after your opponent sets their gameplan, and before the sim runs, and that’s just a lot to think about. I like having the ability to switch it up on my roster, which is one reason I like the flexibility of the press/zone combo, but I don’t try to sleight-of-hand anybody on purpose.

Related, one of the advanced gameplanning options that would make zone a little more fun, and maybe a little more attractive for folks, would be 1) the ability to set multiple depth charts specific for each set, and 2) an option to switch between the two sets if you’re opponent takes a certain ratio of 3pt shots, or shots in the paint.

Posted by hughesjr on 2/7/2021 12:15:00 PM (view original):

Posted by utthead on 2/6/2021 12:45:00 AM (view original):
You are better off putting all your minutes into either press or man than you would be trying to run the press/man combo.

Strictly as an exercise in calculations, you may be correct. But in the impact it could have on opponents game planning, maybe not. If your opponent game plans for you to play man and you press, that might tip the outcome.

For example, if they are not deep, press causes more fatigue and minutes by backup players. The fact is.. You can play Man (or zone if that is your second defense), or Press or the combo defense.

The wrinkle that puts into the mix could become important against certain teams and/or coaches.. At least in theory. In practice, we'll see.

are you giving it a shot too? cool! good luck with that, i hope you enjoy it. i really enjoyed the 2 defense scheme when i played it, it may be the team i coached the hardest outside of two very specific periods where my sole focus was winning. it really was good fun. not that i can recommend it on practical grounds, of course, but i wish all vets would give it a shot! i do think its a little too much for newer coaches though.

+1 for man/press at high d1! If you have the depth to pull it off it can really be a huge advantage against elite but shallower teams, which seem to be prevalent in high d1. Press isn't quite as effective in d1 as it is in d2 or d3, so I like being able to double, preserve a little stamina, and toughen up my halfcourt d. It does mean you should likely target a 3-star over a 5-star who will leave early, but the practice time lost won't kill you with high level recruit development in the same way it would at lower levels. In d2/d3 I agree it's pretty much never worth it to burn the practice time to get the two defenses both playable, but it was able to carry me to a title in Allen last season with a deep and fast roster!