Self Evals: Grade Yourself as an HD Coach Topic

I like this. It forces me to think a little bit about what I'm doing wrong.  Here goes.

Team Vision ( A- ) : I always keep a 4-year depth chart and make sure I have upperclassmen playing most of the minutes (not that hard I guess).  I sometimes end up with an offense/defense imbalance though.  In fact, based on the past this grade should probably be lower but with some recent changes to my planning I'm going to bump it up.

Recruiting ( B+ ) : I understand recruiting pretty well and can usually get a lot of my target players.  However, I realize that I sometimes might not be targeting the right players.  I still don't recruit enough athleticism and at times not enough defense.

Team Setup ( A- ) : I think I put the puzzle together well but i"m sure there are others doing it better.

Game Planning ( B ) : I definitely should experiment more to figure out what works and what doesn't.  Sometimes I dismiss an idea based on way too small of a sample.  I've played the majority of my games in a weak conference and haven't needed to game plan.  Actually I've been reading the forums a lot lately on game planning topics and am looking forward to trying to improve in this area.

Scheduling ( C+ ) : Maybe too high.  I accept any challenge I get.  I have long running series with teams that beat me a lot more than I beat them.  I think I do a pretty good job though when I actually get around to filling the rest of the spots.

Player Development ( B ) : Someone has to not have an A in this.  I'm probably too conservative with study hall minutes.

Overall ( B+ ) : I hope that's not too high for someone who has never played above D3 and is still yet to win a championship.  At one point I had a pretty good run going and would have thought I was a pretty good D3 coach but lately it's been tougher and I fear I've become someone who beats up on bad teams but struggles against the good ones.  Time to get back on track.


Also, thanks to everyone who posted on this thread.  I've enjoyed reading them all.
5/9/2014 6:42 PM

My self evaluation is for D2-D3 for me, because I personally don't feel you "build" teams in D1, you just take the best you can get in most cases. Please don't pick apart what I just said, you all get the meaning of what I'm saying.

Team planning/vision building: (B+) I've recently got a lot better about this. I was cheap for a while, and didn't want to spend money on HD to purposefully screw up some teams to test things out. I finally decided to mess around some, and its paid off. Several of my teams have really come through, and its getting better. I'm still working on the discipline to pass up on Player X who might be great for one of my other teams, and instead of going for Player Y who fits my system and recruiting philosophy for that team.

Recruiting mechanics: (A) I don't battle as often as I should, because I feel like there's an equivalent out there, but I'm getting better. The fact I'm still very successful tells me I'm a good evaluator of talent.

Team setup: (B) I don't spend as much time on this as I should. I should dig deeper into setting up my depth chart properly, and I don't do PPM and other valuations of my players. In baseball terms, I'm more of a '"this guy looks like a player" coach than a "sabermetrics tells me X is a better player" kind.

Game planning: (D-) I'm bad at this. Just bad. As many a devastating post season loss tells me, I could say I got simmed over by the engine, but the same people sure seem to win a lot with teams that look a lot like mine. I think gameplanning might be that extra 10% that separates the good from the great.

Scheduling: (A+) I've built many a fraudulent teams that were they in other conferences, or I scheduled differently, the season would have been a failure.

Player development: (A) Not much to this, other than having the discipline to post practice minutes properly to develop that high/high rebounding over the high/high low post to fill a team need, for example.

Overall: (A-) I'm on a streak right now where I really feel like every season I've got a shot at a title. I think if I get better at the team building/vision part and stay disciplined to my values, I can overcome my abysmal game planning for the most part.

5/9/2014 7:04 PM
Posted by sublightd on 5/9/2014 7:04:00 PM (view original):

My self evaluation is for D2-D3 for me, because I personally don't feel you "build" teams in D1, you just take the best you can get in most cases. Please don't pick apart what I just said, you all get the meaning of what I'm saying.

Team planning/vision building: (B+) I've recently got a lot better about this. I was cheap for a while, and didn't want to spend money on HD to purposefully screw up some teams to test things out. I finally decided to mess around some, and its paid off. Several of my teams have really come through, and its getting better. I'm still working on the discipline to pass up on Player X who might be great for one of my other teams, and instead of going for Player Y who fits my system and recruiting philosophy for that team.

Recruiting mechanics: (A) I don't battle as often as I should, because I feel like there's an equivalent out there, but I'm getting better. The fact I'm still very successful tells me I'm a good evaluator of talent.

Team setup: (B) I don't spend as much time on this as I should. I should dig deeper into setting up my depth chart properly, and I don't do PPM and other valuations of my players. In baseball terms, I'm more of a '"this guy looks like a player" coach than a "sabermetrics tells me X is a better player" kind.

Game planning: (D-) I'm bad at this. Just bad. As many a devastating post season loss tells me, I could say I got simmed over by the engine, but the same people sure seem to win a lot with teams that look a lot like mine. I think gameplanning might be that extra 10% that separates the good from the great.

Scheduling: (A+) I've built many a fraudulent teams that were they in other conferences, or I scheduled differently, the season would have been a failure.

Player development: (A) Not much to this, other than having the discipline to post practice minutes properly to develop that high/high rebounding over the high/high low post to fill a team need, for example.

Overall: (A-) I'm on a streak right now where I really feel like every season I've got a shot at a title. I think if I get better at the team building/vision part and stay disciplined to my values, I can overcome my abysmal game planning for the most part.

At low- and mid-major D1 you have to "build" your team. Even at lower BCS schools you have to.
5/9/2014 7:09 PM
I'd like to contribute to this thread but I am absolutely terrible at self evaluation. I've had a little success but most of the time I chalk it up to luck. I don't keep spreadsheets like a lot of the better coaches or run advanced metrics on what makes a strong defender. My recruiting kind goes like this, hey that guy looks really good, he's a point guard? I could use a point guard! I think I'll try to get that guy. I'm all over the map with it some times. Literally, all over the map. On my VU team I had players from Spain, Italy, 2 from the town in Nigeria, and the other players were from up and down the east coast and in as far as michigan.

I game plan too! Damn that guy shoots some threes! I'll play 3-2 tonight. The other way works too. That teams best shooter has a perimeter of 55, and he is a sophomore. Cool, I'll play a 2-3.

Player development, I think I'm about a b+. I'm usually pretty good about this but there have been a few times where I skipped developing perimeter on a big or low post in a little only to have it go up 15 points his senior year and end his career still with high potential.

Overall, I'd give myself a b+

Hey sublightd, don't learn to gameplay tonight.....
5/9/2014 7:27 PM
+1 to milwood, and I'm nowhere near the coach he is, but it somewhat like that for me.  I have a vision, that's one thing I strongly believe in when recruiting and team building, but I don't even keep docs of all the guys I'm looking at for recruiting and go back and analyze what medium is a 20 and what medium is a 13 and what one is a 7 anymore.

Team planning/vision building:  B+.  I have a plan for the team and set and after I try to even out classes there's a goal for this year and the next two out at least.  Everyone I recruit has to have a spot in the overall gameplan.

Recruiting mechanics:  B.  At D3 to me it's mostly finding the local kids and establishing spot early.  At my D1 teams it's hard since one is a low major that is one class in in a rebuild (and doing very well for me) and the other is an abysmal rebuild very early.  D1 is definitely a different animal, I learned that losing a local stud after dropping $45k in a battle.

Team Setup:  B+/A-.  I have a good feel for what each guy is and his role in relation to the team and others at his position.

Game planning: C/C-.  I get beat at times by teams I shouldn't get beat by.  But on the flip side, sometimes I beat teams I shouldn't.  I think the latter is more talent and team overall rather than game planning.

Scheduling:  B+.  I schedule differently for each team, but I feel like I understand how to have the right schedule for what I'm looking for that year.  It took me awhile to understand that playing in the NT as a 4 seed is vastly better than as a 14 seed and trying to upset my way to the E8.

Player Development:  A.  To an extent this is just putting time in blues, but I do think there's more to it than that.  Although I've come to believe that A+ IQ's in sets is underrated.  Maybe greatly.

Overall:  I'll say low B.  I was recently in my first championship game, which completely surprised me.  When I think my team is very solid, or has a great chance at getting to a certain point it doesn't and when I'm wondering if we can even make the NT we wind up getting far in the tournament.

The aejones post is still pretty much the basis of how I play.  I've tweaked things here and there, but it's hugely shaped how I recruit and play.  I'm not a title contender every year in the worlds I play, but I'd say solid average, slightly better.  I taken things I've learned here on the forum and from experience and I'm testing things on my own in a pretty informal way.  

This game is easily the most addicting sports sim I've played in years.
 

5/9/2014 8:00 PM
Posted by milwood on 5/9/2014 7:27:00 PM (view original):
I'd like to contribute to this thread but I am absolutely terrible at self evaluation. I've had a little success but most of the time I chalk it up to luck. I don't keep spreadsheets like a lot of the better coaches or run advanced metrics on what makes a strong defender. My recruiting kind goes like this, hey that guy looks really good, he's a point guard? I could use a point guard! I think I'll try to get that guy. I'm all over the map with it some times. Literally, all over the map. On my VU team I had players from Spain, Italy, 2 from the town in Nigeria, and the other players were from up and down the east coast and in as far as michigan.

I game plan too! Damn that guy shoots some threes! I'll play 3-2 tonight. The other way works too. That teams best shooter has a perimeter of 55, and he is a sophomore. Cool, I'll play a 2-3.

Player development, I think I'm about a b+. I'm usually pretty good about this but there have been a few times where I skipped developing perimeter on a big or low post in a little only to have it go up 15 points his senior year and end his career still with high potential.

Overall, I'd give myself a b+

Hey sublightd, don't learn to gameplay tonight.....
This is, quite possibly, the most entertaining post of the entire thread!

+1
5/9/2014 8:24 PM
Team planning/vision: B I get good guys. Juco for DII. Building my Creighton team pretty good for mid major.
Recruiting: 2 grades B for everything but zone. Flex I get SP per guys. FCP ath, def, st, IQ. Etc... F!!!! In zone

Team setup: C-, Can't seem to get guys in right position all the time. I know what role to use, but doesn't always pan out.

Game planning: D, always every season get beat by teams that I shouldn't lose to. Weather to go uptempo, slowdown, or normal always gets me in trouble. Guys with high per shoot 30% or worse, +/- needs work.

Scheduling: B+, usually do good here. Young team sims away, good team fill

Player development: B, usually get my guys to max out on potential in areas I need them.

Overall: D+, haven't been able to get my teams into the NT consistently. Can't get to that next level
5/9/2014 11:28 PM
I'm enjoying this thread. So many of these categories are really intertwined. Let's say there are two players available in recruiting: a 26 WE guy with a bunch of high potentials, and a 55 WE guy with better starting ratings but less potential. Who do you take? That decision has so many variables, which would encompass the recruiting, team vision, and player development categories. I tend to think "team vision" is the most important skill but like I said, the lines between categories are blurry.

I also think player development is very important, and more complicated than some have stated earlier in the thread. There's more to it than just putting practice minutes in blues.
5/10/2014 1:30 AM
Posted by mrg1037 on 5/10/2014 1:30:00 AM (view original):
I'm enjoying this thread. So many of these categories are really intertwined. Let's say there are two players available in recruiting: a 26 WE guy with a bunch of high potentials, and a 55 WE guy with better starting ratings but less potential. Who do you take? That decision has so many variables, which would encompass the recruiting, team vision, and player development categories. I tend to think "team vision" is the most important skill but like I said, the lines between categories are blurry.

I also think player development is very important, and more complicated than some have stated earlier in the thread. There's more to it than just putting practice minutes in blues.
I agree completely. With that hypothetical 26 WE guy, it would be important to either get him starting or playing a lot early, if you want to maximize those high potentials, as the 26 WE would need to be improved. Personally, depending upon what the EXACT ratings were, I'd probably go with a 55 WE guy, just because the 26 WE guy would require starting (or playing a lot) a guy with lower ratings, just to get the WE up and the potentials realized.
5/10/2014 10:23 AM
I don't have time to do it all... I might later... But I'd say across the board I am a D+.... I figure I started at a F- so I am getting better I feel :)
5/10/2014 12:25 PM
Posted by jaymc2007 on 5/10/2014 12:25:00 PM (view original):
I don't have time to do it all... I might later... But I'd say across the board I am a D+.... I figure I started at a F- so I am getting better I feel :)
You certainly seem to have the ball rolling in the right direction! Once those awful athletes cycle off your roster, you'll have a REALLY solid team, if you keep it up.

As a side note, I love the NAME of your team!
5/10/2014 12:55 PM
Posted by wildcat98 on 5/10/2014 12:55:00 PM (view original):
Posted by jaymc2007 on 5/10/2014 12:25:00 PM (view original):
I don't have time to do it all... I might later... But I'd say across the board I am a D+.... I figure I started at a F- so I am getting better I feel :)
You certainly seem to have the ball rolling in the right direction! Once those awful athletes cycle off your roster, you'll have a REALLY solid team, if you keep it up.

As a side note, I love the NAME of your team!
Thanks for the kind words!  It is frustrating not winning like you want to... but my upperclassmen are pretty bad.  I really like my sophomore class and my freshman class isn't bad.  Recruiting is something I def want to get way better at and I feel it is at least heading in the right direction. 
5/10/2014 1:58 PM
Posted by jaymc2007 on 5/10/2014 1:58:00 PM (view original):
Posted by wildcat98 on 5/10/2014 12:55:00 PM (view original):
Posted by jaymc2007 on 5/10/2014 12:25:00 PM (view original):
I don't have time to do it all... I might later... But I'd say across the board I am a D+.... I figure I started at a F- so I am getting better I feel :)
You certainly seem to have the ball rolling in the right direction! Once those awful athletes cycle off your roster, you'll have a REALLY solid team, if you keep it up.

As a side note, I love the NAME of your team!
Thanks for the kind words!  It is frustrating not winning like you want to... but my upperclassmen are pretty bad.  I really like my sophomore class and my freshman class isn't bad.  Recruiting is something I def want to get way better at and I feel it is at least heading in the right direction. 
A lesson I learned the HARD way early on: never never NEVER undervalue athleticism. You can get away with it a BIT at D3 (though you probably won't win BIG doing it that way), but at D2, and especially D1, it's the first thing you should try to improve on any team you coach. It, quite literally, affects nearly every other category.
5/10/2014 2:40 PM
Posted by wildcat98 on 5/10/2014 10:23:00 AM (view original):
Posted by mrg1037 on 5/10/2014 1:30:00 AM (view original):
I'm enjoying this thread. So many of these categories are really intertwined. Let's say there are two players available in recruiting: a 26 WE guy with a bunch of high potentials, and a 55 WE guy with better starting ratings but less potential. Who do you take? That decision has so many variables, which would encompass the recruiting, team vision, and player development categories. I tend to think "team vision" is the most important skill but like I said, the lines between categories are blurry.

I also think player development is very important, and more complicated than some have stated earlier in the thread. There's more to it than just putting practice minutes in blues.
I agree completely. With that hypothetical 26 WE guy, it would be important to either get him starting or playing a lot early, if you want to maximize those high potentials, as the 26 WE would need to be improved. Personally, depending upon what the EXACT ratings were, I'd probably go with a 55 WE guy, just because the 26 WE guy would require starting (or playing a lot) a guy with lower ratings, just to get the WE up and the potentials realized.
There's no blanket answer, it really depends. Just a few examples: Can you give a redshirt? Are you in a rebuild where you're going to lose this year anyway? Are you trying to win a title this year and need this freshman to be a useful reserve? What other players do you have at his position? All these categories are so connected.
5/10/2014 4:50 PM
Posted by mrg1037 on 5/10/2014 4:50:00 PM (view original):
Posted by wildcat98 on 5/10/2014 10:23:00 AM (view original):
Posted by mrg1037 on 5/10/2014 1:30:00 AM (view original):
I'm enjoying this thread. So many of these categories are really intertwined. Let's say there are two players available in recruiting: a 26 WE guy with a bunch of high potentials, and a 55 WE guy with better starting ratings but less potential. Who do you take? That decision has so many variables, which would encompass the recruiting, team vision, and player development categories. I tend to think "team vision" is the most important skill but like I said, the lines between categories are blurry.

I also think player development is very important, and more complicated than some have stated earlier in the thread. There's more to it than just putting practice minutes in blues.
I agree completely. With that hypothetical 26 WE guy, it would be important to either get him starting or playing a lot early, if you want to maximize those high potentials, as the 26 WE would need to be improved. Personally, depending upon what the EXACT ratings were, I'd probably go with a 55 WE guy, just because the 26 WE guy would require starting (or playing a lot) a guy with lower ratings, just to get the WE up and the potentials realized.
There's no blanket answer, it really depends. Just a few examples: Can you give a redshirt? Are you in a rebuild where you're going to lose this year anyway? Are you trying to win a title this year and need this freshman to be a useful reserve? What other players do you have at his position? All these categories are so connected.

The lowest I've taken and he's definitely been worth it but I doubt I'll max him out everywhere. I've had him start since his freshman year but it would've been much smarter to redshirt him, I just made the mistake of informing him during recruiting which he didn't like. If I had him again as a freshman I would have practice planned with him completely differently than I did to start. 

I'm going to create a post about him at the end of the season when he graduates. 

5/10/2014 8:17 PM
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