I haven't coached at D2 or D3 for a while, but when I did, I took the same approach that other experienced coaches do at those levels - take the shotgun approach with a ton of D1 players and try to get a few legit players that way. Of course, RS2 is always stressful when doing that because a D1 team can come in at the very end and snap up your targets.

Anyway, it got me wondering... in the current version of HD, has anyone had success at D2 by recruiting D2-listed players? And likewise for D3? I can see where if you were the only human in a D3 conference, you could probably recruit the cream of the D3 crop and at least win your conference tourney every season, but then get crushed in the NT by teams with D1-level recruits.

Just wondering if anyone has tried this experiment, and if so, how it worked out.

In short, yes.

Haha. But the longer answer… I remember reading a post in the forums that a coach playing at D3 only recruited D3 players… and I believe his best result has been Sweet 16.

At D2, I usually scout a hybrid of both D1 and D2… I just signed a class of 5 players in Tarkanian (three D2 guys, two D1 guys.)

Truly, there are some surprising gems even at D3 level with the main difference being they require development. D3-projected recruits are excellent redshirt candidates.

D3 I have won titles with all D2 players. D2 I think it's possible to win a title with all D2 players but likely not consistently (you'd need imbalanced classes).

I have a Randolph-Macon in Phelan and am only recruiting DIII guys. Can't make it past the 2nd round yet, but i think this season will be different...hopefully!

Hoops Dynasty – College Basketball Sim Games - Team Profile (whatifsports.com)

That feels like you have ridiculously high team ATH and DEF for only D3 recruits. Impressive.

So I don't understand. scout and look for undecided d1's and then just pray they don't get sniped? I was away for a long time and that feels like something that didn't use to be a thing..

Posted by rolltide2555 on 3/22/2022 11:22:00 PM (view original):
So I don't understand. scout and look for undecided d1's and then just pray they don't get sniped? I was away for a long time and that feels like something that didn't use to be a thing..

Yeah, there’s an art form at D3 to understanding the caliber of D1-projected players needed to succeed at D1 and D2… and going after the guys that slip under those coaches’ radar.

My next D3 team I pickup, I’m going to only scout and recruit D2 projected-players. Sometimes the biggest difference between the D2-projected stars and the D1 guys is only lower stamina… or the need to develop greens.

I just finished recruiting for my first time in probably....8+ years.....games changed a little.

Posted by rolltide2555 on 3/22/2022 11:35:00 PM (view original):
I just finished recruiting for my first time in probably....8+ years.....games changed a little.

Was that 2.0?? Back then there were pulldowns and dropdowns. It’s much different (& better) now. But you’ll hear a lot of grumbling about dice rolls. (If the effort you put into a recruit is more than another coach’s effort you will have a higher % probability of him signing with you, but you can still lose him to the coach with the lower %.)

There are incredibly detailed threads on here that explain the current system. If you have questions on process or strategy, shoot me a site mail and I’d be happy to chat about it.

The Hoops Dynasty discord server is another strong tool you can use. There are a lot of successful coaches on there to ask advice.

Actually going back and looking it was 2010 when I last was on this site to play anything it seems. 12 years, pretty sure they were rolling out 2.0 as I was losing interest.

You can absolutely win at D2 with only D2 players. Many D2 players are better than D1 players because they may have better Core values.

If I am coaching D1, I hardly (if ever) scout any D2 players .. likely the same for most d1 coaches. That means, you usually face less human competition for the D2 players who are good.

You can also win if you can get lucky and get a couple really good d1 players .. but you have to be concerned about losing those guys to incoming d1 coaches during the 2nd recruiting session. (I would not hesitate to take a d1 player from a d2 or d3 team if I just took over a new d1 team). So there is high risk/reward.

I have not recruited anything other than d1 players for my d3 team in the new engine. The resources for scouting are so limited but may be worth it. I do not know.