Fastbreak at D1 Topic

qbydeuce22
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Any idea if the fastbreak offense can be effective at the D1 level?  I was contemplating switching to it from motion but I can't seem to find many of the top tier teams that run it.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  I should mention that I am currently at a mid-major, so I don't exactly have access to the best recruits.
12/28/2010 2:56 PM
tianyi7886
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Why would you switch to FB from motion while everyone else is doing the opposite? It's definitely not a good idea at any level. 
12/28/2010 3:01 PM
jbasnight
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I tried to run the FB for a few seasons at Air Force in Smith, and I've recently decided to scrap it. I found it extremely difficult to recruit for--trying to recruit for speed is very tough right now, as the fastest guys are almost always the highest rated. I have not found speed to be distributed as randomly as other factors. It's easy to build a very good defensive team, for example, or a team that can rebound as well as the high-prestige squads, but I don't think you can build a team that will stack up with them on speed, even if you're willing to ignore other factors.

Just my .02. I also had the hurdle of recruiting from a fairly remote place, so by the time the higher-prestige teams and the sims were done I had even less to choose from. It'd probably be a little easier in a more populated area.
12/28/2010 3:04 PM
udm_mike
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Oldave successfully ran the FB at Syracuse for a long time.  I'd actually think recruiting at the mid-major level would be a bit easier for a FB team, since you won't be competing against the best of the best recruits anyway.  The 2 most important aspects of a FB (assuming you'd run press with it?) is IQ and stamina.  Sure, speed is nice, but when they "improved" the FCP, they drastically increased the importance of stamina to a slightly stupid level.  

Also, at least on the D3 level, I'm not sure passing has much importance at all in the FB.
12/28/2010 7:11 PM
jbasnight
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At a high-prestige program like Syracuse, yes, you could run the FB. (I'm sure it could also be done at D2 or D3.) In the interest of fairness, though, it should be said that oldave bellyached incessantly about that team's volatility.

I thought the same thing you do about running the FB at the mid-major level--because recruiting for it is so specific, it should be manageable with the current recruit generation. And it may be for some coaches--it's just not what I found.

12/28/2010 8:26 PM
qbydeuce22
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Thanks for the insight.  Thats a good point about the stamina issue.  The team I have now runs press, and is solid (senior laden and I have 3 really strong post players), but I haven't been performing as well as I would think I should.  I wonder if I am running into a stamina issue, as most of my guys are in the 70-80 stamina range.  I can imagine that if you run FB and press that stamina issue could really be a factor.

Especially at a mid-major school, you can't afford to turn down a high-level recruit just because his stamina is low.  Maybe not worth exploring then...
12/28/2010 10:24 PM
dacj501
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Posted by jbasnight on 12/28/2010 8:26:00 PM (view original):

At a high-prestige program like Syracuse, yes, you could run the FB. (I'm sure it could also be done at D2 or D3.) In the interest of fairness, though, it should be said that oldave bellyached incessantly about that team's volatility.

I thought the same thing you do about running the FB at the mid-major level--because recruiting for it is so specific, it should be manageable with the current recruit generation. And it may be for some coaches--it's just not what I found.

It is to be noted that OD bellyached about damned near everything though, so take that for what its worth...
(posted with love and missing OD...)

12/29/2010 8:37 AM
jdno
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Posted by qbydeuce22 on 12/28/2010 10:24:00 PM (view original):
Thanks for the insight.  Thats a good point about the stamina issue.  The team I have now runs press, and is solid (senior laden and I have 3 really strong post players), but I haven't been performing as well as I would think I should.  I wonder if I am running into a stamina issue, as most of my guys are in the 70-80 stamina range.  I can imagine that if you run FB and press that stamina issue could really be a factor.

Especially at a mid-major school, you can't afford to turn down a high-level recruit just because his stamina is low.  Maybe not worth exploring then...
Just check the pbp and see how the colored 4-minute boxes look currently to see if stamina is a factor in your team's troubles.  To pull off FCP successfully these days, ST has to be a targeted skill sought during recruiting.  Throw on top of that a FB offense, and unless your kids are taking epo, it'll be very hard to compete effectively with that combination, esp. at a low-level D-1 job.  I'd stick to Motion
12/29/2010 11:42 AM
Fastbreak at D1 Topic
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