mmt is right - about getting to BCS conference - and also about the weirdness at Kentucky....I have never figured out how to recruit here - and I just keep hanging on

I should have stayed at LSU where I had it rolling, but the lure of an Elite pulled me - I dont coach elites well - I do well at the level right below that - nicely at Maryland and LSU and such.....

If they really wanted to go for realism everybody at Maryland should be EE unless they totally suck...

like GV?

Quote: Originally Posted By mizzou77 on 5/20/2010
Depends totally on what you want to do long term in that world. I just noticed there were alot of Big-6 teams that opened in Phelan last night. If you want to climb to the top of Phelan DI and coach a power team with much better talent... you can't do it from Jacksonville St. beating 10 sims. If you want to amass alot of wins and think your a really good coach being a big fish in a pond... stay there and enjoy yourself.

Some folks have to be in the ocean with the sharks to have a good time... some are fine in the pond with a catfish or two and a small snapping turtle to deal with.

I personally don't care for the pond,,, but I have found alot of fun in the lake (Mid-Major) to each their own.

What about a wet bed? Where does that fit into this analogy?

I would also advise on if you have a list of "dream jobs." If you don't have a dream job and you don't care which Big 6 conference you go into, then I would take the highest prestige job that I can get.

First of all, thanks very much to all the coaches who weighed in on this matter. I really appreciate the input from users who have done a lot in HD, and who have been faced with the same decision I'm facing right now.

Quote: Originally posted by metsmax on 5/20/2010hmm, I would not wait - I would grab the better school now and fill those slots - the average quality of recruits will go down with the new engine, so that big class of old engine recruits could be a strengthget 6 high school players plus if you can a couple of jucos - maybe one juco2 and one juco3....

This, in particular, is a point I never thought of, and a really excellent point to those looking to move up. It's not like Seton Hall is my dream job, but if I get the job and can fill the slots, maybe that'll help me out in my quest to compete at a high level.

The sooner you get into the BCS, the sooner (if you're a solid coach) you'll be competing for national championships. The extra tourney money you get in BCS conferences allows you to beat the Jacksonville States for the 3-star recruits that in 4 years will have your new team fighting to win the conference and make a run in the NT. There's no BCS team you can't turn around in 2-3 years with a little intelligence, good planning and restraint. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll be there competing for the big prize. You can either wait for a "better opportunity," or just turn Seton Hall into that better opportunity. 8 openings ($130K?) seems like the perfect time. Be smart, you'll be a 7 seed in the NT in 3 years, and a 2 seed the year after that. Then you're off to the races...

Seton Hall is a good job. I'd take it but I think it's parallel to Oregon St. where I'm at.

That said, 8 'ships will allow you to land 2-3 REALLY good players if you settle for guys in the 50s on the other 5-6 'ships. I say go for it, I bet you have some carry-over cash there too, and the Big East is good.

Just don't try to be Duke or UNC your first year there. Try to be the best team you can in four years, not 1-2.

Quote: Originally Posted By metsmax on 5/20/2010
hmm, I would not wait - I would grab the better school now and fill those slots - the average quality of recruits will go down with the new engine, so that big class of old engine recruits could be a strength

get 6 high school players plus if you can a couple of jucos - maybe one juco2 and one juco3....

Why would this matter? It's not like he's planning on being there for 4 seasons and then quitting. If in 20 seasons he's still at the school would it really be that important for him that 20 seasons earlier he got in early so he got better recruits?

To increase realism I actually look at coaching salaries at the schools as well as attendance figures. Further I give consideration to living in the area. In short I look at it like most would evaluate a real job. I haven't had the opportunity for a big 6 job but I recently went from SMU to Memphis. I had spent 7 seasons at SMU and had a good team coming back but the attendance figures and lack of interest in SMU basketball in the real world grated on my nerves. With the Cowboys, Mavericks and other influences SMU isn't even on Dallas resident's radar. Memphis on the other hand is a college basketball town. State of the art facilities etc. Being from KY I appreciate the passion a fan base can have for its team.

Seaton Hall sounds like a good fit, nice facilities etc. They don't tend to pay their coaches top tier. The baseline prestige also comes into play and Arkansas shows a B+ to the others B potential.

yeah that takes obsession with this game to a level I can no longer approach, and I have the longest tracking threads in the history of HD...

Quote: Originally Posted By graham1 on 5/21/2010
To increase realism I actually look at coaching salaries at the schools as well as attendance figures. Further I give consideration to living in the area. In short I look at it like most would evaluate a real job. I haven't had the opportunity for a big 6 job but I recently went from SMU to Memphis. I had spent 7 seasons at SMU and had a good team coming back but the attendance figures and lack of interest in SMU basketball in the real world grated on my nerves. With the Cowboys, Mavericks and other influences SMU isn't even on Dallas resident's radar. Memphis on the other hand is a college basketball town. State of the art facilities etc. Being from KY I appreciate the passion a fan base can have for its team.

Seaton Hall sounds like a good fit, nice facilities etc. They don't tend to pay their coaches top tier. The baseline prestige also comes into play and Arkansas shows a B+ to the others B potential.

This post leaves me speechless.

CB, what would your gf (or is it wife) have to say about all of that?

Quote: Originally Posted By mmt0315 on 5/20/2010

Quote: Originally Posted By tribewriter on 5/20/2010

Two thoughts:

1. You will want to take a Big 6 job at some point in your life because, if you don't, you'll always be wondering if you could have succeeded at the elite level.

2. You don't want to take a Big 6 job where everyone else in the conference is light years ahead of you in prestige and building their programs. If you do, it's going to be real difficult to win often enough to bump your prestige to the point where you can recruit four-and five-star players.

This couldnt be more wrong. 1) Most of the time you are taking over a Big 6 school after a previous coach got fired OR a coach quit after the program has fallen apart. It is very rare that you have the chance to take over a Big Six program with an A prestige. Meaning that more often than not youre getting into a position where your school is in the B- to B range anyhow and the recruits you can get are just fine. You just need to be smart about how you recruit. 2) One good season at a Big Six school usually gets the program a HUGE prestige jump anywhere from a full letter grade or higher when you take into account that a big season typically leads to players being drafted the bump is usually higher.

Really, the main drawback to going now is if something opens up the following year that you'd rather have. But sometimes by that point what happens is you dont even care that you missed out. EG...I signed up to play HD with the goal always being end up at UNC. I coached CSU Fullerton in Naismith for over 10 seasons when suddenly Kansas opened up; as Ive never coached an Elite I decided to go for it. Of course two (maybe three) seasons later along with 100+ total HD seasons UNC opened up which was a step backwards for me and mine if I wanted it. After much deliberation, I ended up never submitting an application as I liked what I had put together at Kansas. Point is, if you want to go to a Big 6 conference and have a decent chance, go for it!

I should probably have qualified my response a bit. I took over C-prestige Minnesota and have done OK, but I have also spent five seasons helplessly watching A-prestige Iowa sign my best in-state players. I got up to B really quickly, but getting from B to A is not as simple as some might make it sound.

Quote: Originally Posted By colorblind79 on 5/21/2010
yeah that takes obsession with this game to a level I can no longer approach, and I have the longest tracking threads in the history of HD...

Quote: Originally Posted By dalter on 5/21/2010

This post leaves me speechless.

CB, what would your gf (or is it wife) have to say about all of that?

Somewhat suprised by the reactions. We all have various reasons we have chosen the teams we have. Many in this game have multiple teams across multiple worlds. There are hundreds of active threads with thousands of page views. Others have threads that they track dynasties ,best coaching records, created spreadsheets etc . Many participate in fantasy baseball, football, online gambling etc. All makeup various forms of online entertainment. Simply a way to pass the time for me.

Oh ... you live in Kentucky. And it's not basketball season. Or send-a-high-schooler-a-pile-of-cash season. Gotcha. Carry on.

(Cue alblack checking in with homespun tales of Big Blue faithful, the small town high school team that defied the odds and grandmothers swearing at their tv sets.)