I have played multiple seasons of GD, but stopped last year after the fraudulent update caused my #1 seeded team to lose in the playoffs to an 8 seed.  Just had a couple quick questions.

-Is there a website with recruit breakdowns, similar to the GD Reports website for football and the GUESS ratings?  That was my favorite part of playing GD.
-When picking my team, what should I look for in base offense/defense?  Has man or zone been shown to be better?  Anything I definately want to avoid?  Or should I not pay attention to this, and base my pick instead upon prestige?
-In general, what are some of the most important attributes to look for in recruiting?

Thanks a lot, I appreciate anyone willing to help!

Welcome to HD. I think you will find it much different than GD but hopefully much more fun. The best thing I can tell you is to read everything you can and ask questions. Nothing beats experience but having an idea of what to expect helps a lot. I can offer a few tips and I am sure others will chip in as well. I am not aware of any websites similar to those in GD.

In choosing a team, prestige is important because the higher it is the more players you get to see. Joining a conference with at least a couple of other humans is good because it gives you someone to talk to and hopefully they will carry better records than the sim ai coached teams which will help your RPI. There are subtle differences in Motion/Flex/Triangle but in general they are all pretty equal. I personally don't like Fastbreak because I feel it is hard to recruit for at DIII and in my opinion it is the most inconsistant offense. On defense. I like Zone or Press at DIII. A lot of coaches use M2M but again I believe it is the hardest to recruit for. Avoid the combo defenses. Just pick one offense and one defense.

In team building. it is very important to build for your O&D. You can find what is best in Hoops 101 in the HELP dropdown box on your Standings page. In general, Speed and Athleticism are valuable for any O&D. Look at player skills by position and don't get hung up on overall ratings. Look at every skill for every player you consider recruiting. I would avoid any player with a Work Ethic below 25 and Durability below 30. A player's Potential is very critical to his long-term growth. Using the FSS can tell you what the potentials are. You have very little money at DII though so be very careful in buying states. Some states are cost prohibitive and you may just have to use scouting trips instead.

For actual recruiting, stay within 350 miles of your campus. It gets too expensive to venture much further out. Try to avoid recruiting battles. There is always another similar player out there. Be careful with your cash. If possible, try not to spend over 50% of your cash in the first 24 hours. Patience is a virtue.

Good Luck and remember we all started out as rookies. You will make mistakes but you will learn from them. We did.

Read, listen.  There are a lot of great coaches willing to help you.  Take some time and understand potentials, future stars, and scouting reports- getting a guy with high potential in the right places at DIII can make a huge difference.  Try and see if you can hook up with a much better coach than myself that is willing to sitemail and help you through the first season or so- I'm not great, but I wouldn't be half as good if it wasn't for Daalt years ago, and my DIII conference mates today helping me out.

Last two things I say to people who started in GD- remember, even the great teams in HD rarely go undefeated.  There's a lot of great coaches out there, and unless you have a very poor SOS, you will lose a close game or two (as you will win them).  And make sure you understand the differences with promises in HD, as well as the difference in how WE and attributes gain.

Have fun!

Welcome and have fun.

There are many ways to have fun in HD. Some people try to get a feet D1 job in a major conference as fast as possible with short tempory stops at schools along the way. Many coaches put down roots at a school and build a dynasty. Others try to coach their alma mater. A few try to build unique teams like a rebounding guard/ speedy perimeter shooting C team (um, not advisable). I contribute by having a team in 7 different worlds so that good coaches can get easy wins.

there is a mentor list in the forums somewhere - send out some sitemails and ask for help.

i struggled for 2-3 seasons until i swallowed my pride and just asked. then i took off.

and be patient - you'll most likely take over a really crappy team, be prepared to lose your first season or two.

oh - and ask for help some more - really, don't stop.people here are great, and if you get lucky even people in your conference can help.