Build Your Own College Basketball Program: Recruit Coach Win

After years of bouncing through a labyrinth of superior second-guessing and keen insight as a couch cushion coach, the ball has finally landed in your court.

The new Hoops Dynasty is your chance to prove your basketball intellect translates to victory come game day.

You are the recruiter. You are the coach. You are in complete control of your team’s road map to success from the day you take the job.

We’ve heard your cries for improvements and Whatifsports.com's Hoops Dynasty lead developer has worked tirelessly to make the game more realistic than ever.

"I'm really looking forward to the new recruit generation," Hoops Dynasty user TannerMcC said. "Building a team that is not so linear will be a great experience."

"Nothing can be perfect," westcoast22 said, "But WIS is showing their support for their customers and their attempt to continue to make their product better."

A few things to expect come May 12th from the NEW Hoops Dynasty

Hoops Dynasty Update Examples
Update	What's It Mean?
Exploit Matchups	Increased focus on individual matchups (i.e. great scorer vs weak defender)
Substitution Control	Tighter control so your depth chart will be followed more closely
Injuries	Less random injuries - the durability rating will drive frequency and recovery rate
Recruiting Players	Varied player types (i.e. - big men who can play the perimeter, like Kevin Durant)
Top 25 Ranking	A combo of player talent and W/L - talent is weighted less as season plays out

For more details join our Hoops Dynasty Developer Chat or check out HD Forum post .

Now that we know some of the major updates to the new Hoops Dynasty , I thought we’d take a peek behind the curtain.

Though this uber-fantasy simulation is your world for an entire college basketball season, it never hurts to gather some advice from somebody who has been in your shoes before.

Dan Dakich was the head basketball coach at Bowling Green State University from 1997 through 2007 before replacing Kelvin Sampson at Indiana University for seven games at the end of the 2008 season.

Dakich provides some college basketball insight.

He’s traveled the recruiting trail, roamed the sidelines, created depth charts and spent nights breaking down film planning for his next opponent.

All these coaching requirements will be asked of you in Hoops Dynasty. So, some advice from a coach who knows what it takes to reach the NCAA tournament should help you prep for your upcoming Hoops Dynasty season.

Once you’ve accepted your Hoops Dynasty coaching gig, the first task you will face is beefing up your roster on the recruiting trail.

Recruiting requires you to spend a good amount of time researching and evaluating available talent and weighing team needs within a set budget.

In coach Dakich’s experience as a recruiter, an athlete’s grades and attendance in high school (or JUCO) are at the top of the list when deciding whether or not to pursue a recruit.

“If you’re absent and you’re tardy it means you’re late all the time or you don’t show up,” Dakich said. “That’s problematic and that’s a red flag.”

Hoops Dynasty Translation  

You will want to pay attention to a player's incoming GPA because down the line you could face some ineligibility issues. A low work ethic rating could make it difficult to develop the recruit once he arrives on campus.

“The next question is where this guy fits in terms of your team,” Dakich said. “How good is he for your team? Does he have the opportunity to play right away? Does he have the ability to become a star?”

Hoops Dynasty Translation  

If you are a senior-laden program with depth at center, chances are you shouldn’t be spending a ton of your budget on recruiting a center.

With that said, if you have an opening at point guard, you could offer the recruit guaranteed minutes boosting your chances of signing him.

“What are your chances of getting him,” Dakich asked himself a number of times throughout his coaching career.

It’s great that I go and recruit Eric Gordon when I’m at Bowling Green, but he’s going to Indiana, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas or Kentucky.”

Hoops Dynasty Translation

Never say never in the recruiting wars. But if you are still in the infancy of building up your program’s reputation and improving loyalty at your school, avoiding the top-tier players may be a wise strategy.

Electing to spend thousands of dollars recruiting a top-ranked player who is leaning towards other schools is a waste of time and money.

There is no shame recruiting average players and laying the foundation first before jumping into the recruiting deep end.

When it came to breaking down practice priorities, Dakich’s philosophy was similar to constructing a puzzle.

“It’s kind of a part/whole method,” Dakich said. “You break it down into its parts and then you build it up to its whole.”

Hoops Dynasty Translation

Each coach will have to construct a practice plan and decide how much time to dedicate to different drills.

On a daily basis you will dictate how long your team works on offense, defense and individual improvement drills (i.e. rebounding and free throws).

The practice plan is critical to the overall growth of your team and, at the end of the day, improves your chances of winning.

A Hoops Dynasty is not created in season one or two. It will take time to build up your basketball program to national prominence. Do not get discouraged. The decisions you make from day one on the recruiting trail will dictate how long it takes for your dynasty to present itself.

With the new, improved updates to Hoops Dynasty, you will have more control to make that dream become a reality.

Before you know it, you’ll be a Division One national champion and creeping up on John Wooden in the record books.

Sign up for the new Hoops Dynasty today!

For more information on the new release click here.