The best part about last season for my Abilene Christian team (Smith world) was that it eventually ended and put me out of my misery :).  I went 2-25 on the year after inheriting a really anemic Sim-recruited team of 5 scholarship players. The only 2 players worth a darn were recruited by the former coach 2 or 3 years ago.  A couple of seasons with the Sim in charge seem to be a recipe for certain ruin.

I'm not posting this to complain, actually - I'm enjoying the challenge and trying to formulate the best strategy for a school like mine to work its way to respectability and an occasional post-season berth.

Last year I signed 7 players to fill my roster, 1 of them a JUCO.  In that mix I picked up 2 or 3 pretty salty D2 recruits that are going to play major roles for me this season.  And I followed that up this year with 3 more recruits, two of whom are about as good as the guys I'm planning to start.  Our overall player ratings aren't anything to write home about, but I think the key skill areas are looking good.

While things are looking up, the daunting thing for me is that I seem to be able to recruit respectable D2 players but not the game-changers and future stars.  I look at some of the guys on other Lone Star conference teams and immediately feel inadequate and inferior.

Given my impression of the difficulties of recruiting to a D-prestige D2 school, I'm leaning towards two main strategies.  I'd appreciate other input, especially if you've been in my shoes, to see if it works or if there are things I'm overlooking/underestimating:

Strategy One: My guys have mediocre to poor ATH/SPD for the most part.  So my team is 100% zone defense.  My coaching history with other hoops sims has always emphasized Man, but if I split practice time between Zone and Man for now, won't it hinder my team's proficiency at Zone for a dubious mastery of Man later?  Or is it actually possible to play tough D by sticking soley with zone?  My main objection to it is that a lot of our opponents last year buried us from the 3-point arc and/or outrebounded us.  I feel less helpless if I can coach some Man to Man.

Strategy Two: Recruiting for potential.  Until/unless ACU can attract elite quality D2 athletes (do they exist?), I've been focusing on local kids who may not have the best ratings but scout for high potential in key areas.  When my 6-player soph class needs to be replaced, I'm hoping to find 1 or 2 kids who are willing to redshirt.  Solid, consistent-if-not-spectacular recruiting + a redshirt program is my strategy for building this program. A team like this, I think, can have a good year every 3 or 4 years but otherwise is usually either rebuilding or working on improvement.  Am I being too pessimistic?

I'm still learning a lot from the board posts from other coaches and by re-reading the tips FAQs, but right now I think I mainly need a little encouragement knowing that I have the basic idea down and that if I stick with ACU for a couple more seasons they'll turn out to be a force to be reckoned with in Lone Star conf.  Please tell me if I'm delusional.

Thanks!

 

just one note - you can only RS one player a year... but you can take an ineligible and RS a player I think. 

trobone is correct...one RS/year you can also have an ineligible.

I like your 3 freshmen, especially if the PF is high potential for REB.

Pick the defense you like and stay with it. Don't flitter back and forth with man-2-man and zone. You're not likely to make the NT this year so you have nothing to lose.
If you intend to switch to man soon, start practicing it now and put no more minutes into a zone. As soon as your players are at C or C+ for m2m, , you can switch .

You'll definitely win more than 2 games this year. You're off to a good career in Abilene

Posted by alblack56 on 12/12/2010 4:39:00 PM (view original):
trobone is correct...one RS/year you can also have an ineligible.

I like your 3 freshmen, especially if the PF is high potential for REB.

Pick the defense you like and stay with it. Don't flitter back and forth with man-2-man and zone. You're not likely to make the NT this year so you have nothing to lose.
If you intend to switch to man soon, start practicing it now and put no more minutes into a zone. As soon as your players are at C or C+ for m2m, , you can switch .

You'll definitely win more than 2 games this year. You're off to a good career in Abilene

Thanks for the input, guys.  I'd forgotten about the 1RS/year rule. 

My returnees are all pretty decent at zone (lots of Bs and As) so it won't hurt to make a switch.  I was already in the same mindset about trying to do 2 defenses at once -- my main concern was whether or not a team of mediocre SPD/ATH was better off sticking with zone or going to Man.  Just not sure a Zone is the path to a championship.

PF Stephen Austin was a surprise catch for me (yes, his REB potential is High.  His LP is already high).   He was one of those guys who thought they were going to get a D1 ride and I didn't get positive feedback from him until some time Saturday I think, the morning before signing deadline after he'd had his hopes dashed.  He's going to move right into my rotation behind Deweese.

The SF I signed looked ok to me (though small), but I generally haven't spent money on psych evals so I was surprised after getting the LOI when my assistant told me he hoped we didn't have problems with the guy, that he had a bad rep.  I hadn't picked up on any of that during recruiting.

Winning more than 2 games this year will be helped by the fact that I kinda stacked my non-con with easier opponents. :)  The real test is going to be conference play.

Ok, guess I'll just go for the Man defense practice now and see what happens.  At least 2 of my 3 recruits have played some Man in HS, so maybe it won't be so bad.  I really appreciate the feedback.

You ARE being too pessimistic.  There is no baseline prestige in D2, meaning every team is on essentially even footing.  You might need a few seasons to get caught up in a solid conference with a bunch of human owners, but once you get the team built it can compete every season.  There is no D2 team that can only compete once every 3 or 4.  That may be the case for some D1s in the hands of anyone but the very best handful of coaches.

" There is no baseline prestige in D2, meaning every team is on essentially even footing."

I know what you mean, but that's a really confusing statement.  Teams are not on even footing because their prestiges ares different.  Their ability to change prestige is the same, however, and that differs from D1 where some teams' prestiges will move up or down at a different rate based on their baseline prestige.

Just thought that needed some clarification for a new coach looking at it.

I think it is always a good challenge to start with a poor team and see where you can take it.  Good luck with the rebuild.  My advice would be as follows.  

1)  I agree with alblack.  Pick the def and stick with it.  (What you have now is best fit for a zone team. IMO)

2) It looks like you have already done this, but schedule light in the non-conference.  Especially if the conference is looking tough.  I used to be in the Lonestar and remember it being a pretty tough conference.   I would recommend, as well, staying with your rebuild for awhile.  Don't be like me and leave your team with impatience and then see the coach the next two years win a National Championship with your guys!!  (See my old Midwestern State team for that.)  Scheduling light is my advice because you have to get some wins to get your prestige up.  Once you get your prestige up to the C+ or even B- range you will be in much better shape to recruit top notch players.  Scheduling tough may give you a great SOS and even RPI but that doesn't do much if you only win 6 games.  

3) Don't sleep on ATH and Speed.  I know it is tough to find players that are good in that area when you have a low prestige, but in my opinion ATH and Speed make up for a lot of weaknesses in other areas.  

4) You may not be able to recruit great all around players, but make sure you have players who cover the whole range of needs.  You need 1 big time rebounder, 1 good LP, 1 good PE, etc.  In other words you may not be able to find a big with great LP and RB.  But if you have one big with great RB and low LP, find another with great LP to balance yourself.    As always, DEF is important as well.  (especialy if you indeed want to transition to M2M)

5) Your biggest issue this season will probably be turnovers.  I say that because you do not have great passers.  Anderson has decent potential but is a poor passer and will not get as many open looks because of the lack of good ball movement that is needed in the motion.  Deweese and Harris are your two best players in my opinion so I would ride them early and then adjust if your aren't performing.   Also don't be shy to run a slow down to limit the possessions and thus limit the turnovers.  

6) Use the redshirt.  Actually one of the secrets that I have just recently picked up from observing the top coaches is that they tend to redshirt (sometimes) there best freshman that they have recruited.  Once you get to the point that your team is solid and you don't need the immediate impact of a freshman, redshirt your best one and maximize their long-term growth and potential. Some of the best players on good teams have been red shirted early in their career.  

OK, I think that is my thoughts.  Good luck and keep plugging away. You have a good start and it can only go up from here!

Thanks, Jjwarden.  When you say "What you have now is best fit for a zone team. IMO", it sounds like you're agreeing with my original take on my team not being especially suited for a Man defense due to ATH/SPD?  I have no problems staying with Zone for the next season or so (until I get better athletes) but I'm concerned that it's not going to be a very effective defense.  All my best guys have Ath/Spd ratings below 60 except for Harris (and Barnett, who looks like a backup this year at SG).  Their DEF ratings are just as mediocre - Andersen's 43 is the best on the team after Crisman, who isn't going to play very much.  Hopefully, ratings will climb this season with a lot of workouts but is that the kind of personnel that should be messing with Man, no matter how much the coach wants it?

I'd redshirt right now, except that I plan to use all of my sophs and freshmen - my freshman SF is a candidate, but what will happen if he's unhappy doing that? Will I get a chance to un-redshirt him to keep him happy before he quits or transfers?  Won't his work ethic take a big dive?

Your Point #4 is exactly what I've been trying to do.  Harris is a great example of it - I came into this simulation swearing my life on high DEF values, and then reality hit me in the face and I realized that some of my guys are going to force compromises.  Harris is a poor defender, but a good shooter and handles/passes well enough to do the job.  Donohue, my 7-footer, is another example: An 81 shot blocker and a 70 rebounder, he plays defense like a schoolgirl.  I'm going to bring him off the bench this year and hopefully camouflage his weaknesses.  Oberle is a better scorer and rebounder and I'll give him a chance to show me his stuff.

Sorry if it seems like I'm wavering here.  My one season as a D3 coach a few years ago wasn't even a good try at this simulation.  This year I've realized how much depth and complexity there is, and I just want to make the best possible choices.

If he's unhappy taking the RS, you can just remove it and whatever negative effects happened (big WE drop) will be removed.  You can attempt to reapply it as many times as you want - some people have apparently had success with that, but it seems like a longshot... at least for me, whenever a kid has refused it the first time, he's refused it every other time.  But it doesn't hurt to try.

My take on the zone is this. Generally speaking zone is the best defense to cover poor defenders.  Because of the nature of a zone your players do not need to be as good individually in their defensive efforts.  The better the DEF rating however (even in zone), the better they will be of course, but in general there is a little more grace given.  I personally have not had any success with the zone.  I only tried it for 1 season on a team in another world and got blasted night in and night out.  However, with a little work and the right strategy the zone can work.  W Florida in Smith runs a zone and I play him every year.  Look at his history and you will see he is a very good coach.  (He also has mixed in the press, just an FYI.)  One thing you will notice though is that W. Florida also has good defenders and good athelticism.  Again, just because you run a zone that does not mean you can toss out the DEF ratings and concentrate on other stuff.  You still have to realize that defense is important.   So, as far as your team goes, I suggested zone because it appears (barring a huge rating boast across the board) that you are weaker in the area of DEF.  The average is 34 with only 2 players above 40.  Add to that lower ATH ratings as well.  So, my quick reaction is that you would struggle more with M2M with those factors.    

Defense, from what I have learned, is a combination of DEF, SB, ATH, and SPD.  I can't tell you how it all mixes together but they all play a factor.  So if you run a M2M you need to realize that each of these ratings will play a part in your overall effectiveness.  I had a player two years back that had a DEF rating of 9.  He was the CPOY in defense twice and the NPOY in defense once.....  However he was a 99 ATH and 97 SPD.  Rare for DII but he was.  So, that is an example of how extreme ATH and SPD can somewhat counter balance poor defense.  Alblack and other successful coaches can probably expand on this if you have other more specific questions.  

Also, be aware that if you decide to run a zone you will need good rebounding.  Zone defense + poor rebounding is a nightmare.  So take that into recruiting consideration.      

The redshirt factor is something that you can play with a bit.  If you plan to start or give lots of minutes to a freshman, then the best option may not be to redshirt him. A start or lots of minutes will boost his ratings quickly and he will reach full potential much quicker. (Not to mention the fact that if he helps your team as a freshman then it is also a factor.)  However, if a freshman is going to ride the pine due to depth charts, then a redshirt may be a good consideration.  The redshirt can be very effective, but certainly not necessary for success.  As mentioned above, some will take it and others won't.  I don't know if there is a way to predict it or not but it sure is nice when you don't lose the WE and he just goes with the flow.  

I have had success leaving the player off of the depth chart during the exhibition games, simulate 1 game where he doesn't play and then offer him the redshirt.  If he doesn't accept it and takes a big WE drop, pull the redshirt and try it again the next cycle.  I have always had success with the player accepting it the third or so time.  But I might have just been lucky with that though.

Finally, the last thing to consider in all areas is the Defensive and offensive IQ.  I don't know how much time you are putting into IQ but it is very important.  Especially in overall effectiveness.  If I have a young team of freshman and sophomores I always bump the IQ minutes up a bit to try to get them to a B- at minimum as quick as I can.  The quicker they learn the set the more success you will have.  Especially in all the intangibles such as turnovers etc.         

I learn something every time you guys post a reply :)  I hadn't even thought of trying to redshirt a kid more than once in a cycle.  I may give that a shot with my freshman SF.  I need the other two freshmen to play right away.

It's a shame we, as coaches, don't have some sort of barometer on the players' attitudes.  In another sim - Draft Day College Basketball - I had bars that showed me how much playing time a kid expected, how well he fit in with his teammates and what sort of personality he had.  Using that I could gauge whether a kid was going to rebel over a redshirt or not before making the decision.

I'm still waffling a bit on going to Man.  Given the low ATH/SPD/DEF of my players, they're not that great at Zone either (which explains the two wins last year).  I have to pick my poison here, I guess.  Do I want opponents to tear up my Man and dunk on me all night, or do I want them to bomb me with 3's and box me out on the boards? :)

Priority one, obviously, is going to have to be conditioning and footwork.  I tried to max the practice time on those values last year and I will again this year.  Given enough improvement, then I think I'll make the switch to Man next season and suffer through another year of zone for now.  Like everything in HD, I have to make a choice and stick with it.

Honestly, if you know you are going to make the switch to man, I would suggest that you stop practicing zone altogether.  You should still play zone until your man IQs are sufficient.  Other coaches may disagree, and you may lose a game or two that you shouldn't have, but you will be better off down the line.  Only do that if you are absolutely sure you will switch.

As for RPI, it's the same formula in the game as it is in real life, so try to get as many non-conference road wins as you can and avoid home losses.  You can really maximize your RPI by scheduling properly.

IMO you can win with any defense as long as you have the right players.  you're going to have to make some choices and some small sacrifices any time you rebuild a team but it's one of the more fun ways of playing the game i think.

as some have mentioned, pick your DEF and OFF now and stick to it.  commit to it and don't look back for at least 6 seasons.  as soon as you change your mind, you're killing at least 50% of any progress you have made already - perhaps more. i agree with isack, if you know you're going to play M2M and you're starting to recruit the players you think will run that well for you now, then switch your practice to it now.  every minute the new recruits waste on a DEF they won't play is, well, wasted.  i typically wait until i get everyone at a "C" or so before switching to playing it but you can switch to playing it now as well as you gain small improvements from game play as well as practicing (at least i think they made this change a long time ago).

if you don't mind playing zone, go for it.  many titles have been won with zone and can be.  there's no magic bullet defense.  zone is just like any other defense in that you will need to make sure that where you sacrifice some ratings, you make sure you're fantastic in others.

for what it's worth, you've recognized a larger problem with your team and that is your just mediocre in ATH/SPE, which are arguably 2 of the top 4 ratings.  whatever defense you play, you're going to need to fix that problem either way if you really want to compete year over year.

this is completely just an opinion but i would rank the ratings importance of each defense like this for me:

PRESS: ath, def, spe
M2M: def, spe, ath
ZONE: spe, ath, reb, def (you can make a case that you pick either ATH or SPE then put REB #2, then the remaining ATH/SPE third)

one final note, with proper patience and budgeting you should be able to attract at least 1-2 elite/near elite players to your program each season no matter what your prestige is.  if you have 4-5 open schollies, you can potentially get between 3-4 of the elites...

they are out there, you just have to wait until they're a bit more ready to talk to you and avoid battles.  you may already be employing this strategy but i use all the money for schollies to fill my open spots, minus 1-2 spots.  essentially use your cash to go after 2-3 elite players and have 1-2 walk ons versus getting 4-5 good players.  any penalty perceived or otherwise from carrying 1-2 walkons is worth using your cash to go after the best players you can get to.  your previous season when you signed 7 players, if it was me, i would have signed 5, maybe 6 tops, and used the money from the 7th spot to use FSS more, do more evals, etc.