alright i know defense rating is very important in this game but how important is it when you run the FCP? im asking cuz my sr pg at La Verne in naismith just became the all time schools steals leader. so im asking can i get away with a lower def rating if i have high speed or was this just a fluke kind of thing?

IMHO, speed does play a large role in forcing turnovers, but that player has some other factors that contributed to his high amount of steals. Considering that he was redshirted as a freshman and has started over 75% of his total games, it's not surprising that he forced a good amount of turnovers given his speed, IQ, and sheer amount opportunities.

In the press, I think a low defensive rating can lead to opponents still having high FG% despite the individual's amounts of forced turnovers. Which may be the case with that player.

His low DE also contributes to how often he fouls.

Hey Chaos, how's it going? My Bethany team played you last season in the PIT!

I'm in a bit of the same situation as you this season after my SR PG graduated.  I have a soph PG who is a much better defender than my returning SR PG, but when I started him early this season I was losing games.  So I put my lower-DEF PG back in and started winning again.  Now, that could be because that was a tougher stretch of schedule or because my current PG has an IQ of "A" in FCP and my soph backup is a B. 

I've noticed since I took over Bethany's FB/FCP 4 seasons ago that IQ is probably just as important as the actual DEF number, at least in D3.  I've certainly lost games to teams that had low individual DEF numbers but high PER/LP and IQs.

Posted by nachopuzzle on 8/17/2011 6:15:00 AM (view original):
IMHO, speed does play a large role in forcing turnovers, but that player has some other factors that contributed to his high amount of steals. Considering that he was redshirted as a freshman and has started over 75% of his total games, it's not surprising that he forced a good amount of turnovers given his speed, IQ, and sheer amount opportunities.

In the press, I think a low defensive rating can lead to opponents still having high FG% despite the individual's amounts of forced turnovers. Which may be the case with that player.

Yeah I would really have to agree with the high FG%, I know there's been a couple games the other team has shot really well against me, alright so I guess my question turns into is the couple more possessions I get from the turnovers worth giving up the higher FG%? Come on I'm sure some coaches have already done a study on this lol. Any help on this or any advice on my team is greatly appreciated

I would rather have my opponents shoot consistently lower FG% because it would seemingly offer the most chances for victory over a season. Plus, there is no guarantee that a turnover will result in points for your team, so if your team is struggling offensively (or if there is the chance they could against a good opposing defense) then it might not be the best option. However, if you're confident that your team could generate a considerable amount of turnovers against an opponent then it might be the best strategy - they can't score without the rock.  

I agree with nacho, but bear in mind that 2 of Chaos' PGs have DEF ratings or 2 and 11.  Guarding someone isn't going to be much of an option as opposed to stealing the ball and out-running them like Havens has apparently done.

My mental image of the FCP is that it's focused more on forcing turnovers than on lowering the opponent's FG%.  I don't know if that's how it works in HD but it seems to for my Bethany team (forcing +6 turnovers per game but only outshooting opponents .440 to .431).

Chaos, I'd say for now you should go with the cards you're dealt.  In D3, DEF rating isn't quite as important as it seems to be at D2 or D1.  There is always more than one way to win.

Also like acn said look at how often they are fouling out compared to the rest of your guys. Low DEF in the press leads to giving up more easy baskets but more than any other defense it leads to A LOT more fouls.