User Interview - benrudy

The very first interview of this Hoops Dynasty Blog is for user:

benrudy

A quick look into benrudy's history at Hoops Dynasty.

1147-497(.0698) Overall Record
26 Conference Championships
1 National Championship

Q: Why do you play Hoops Dynasty?

A: I have a strange obsession with sports simulator games. I have been playing Football Manager 2008 for way too many hours. Whenever I play Madden, I simulate the whole season in dynasty mode and just do team management. I've always wanted a college basketball simulator, and this was the most detailed game that I could find.

Q: What got you started in Hoops Dynasty?

A: I was told about the game by a friend and colleague StrikeMike. he told me to just give it a try for one season. Before the season was over, I had already signed up for a 2nd team. 

Q: You have had a stellar DIII career at various schools, what contributes to your success at this level?

A: Stellar is a bit of a stretch. I have good success but spread out across many different programs as I take on rebuilds. I think I have two skills that drive my success: non-conference scheduling and recruiting game theory. With rebuilds, I can schedule sims who aren't a challenge to a quality human coached team and still land in the top 20 SOS. With recruiting I don't over commit to battles - I'd rather take 2 B players uncontested and fight for the A+ than, fight for 3 A- recruits. 

Q: How do you scout and recruit at the DIII level?

A: Scouting is the most important part of this. I try to cover a few players, but in as much detail as possible. I use assistant search and scouting service. At DIII, I'd say I spend 3/4 of my budget on DI and 1/4 on DII. With DI, I stay close to home, but at DII I go all over the map. I'm still experimenting to see the optimal way to scout, especially as a DIII school scouting DI where I have to deal with all the top 100 recruits in the area who I stand o chance at.

A: Recruiting, it's all about the APs. I use my recruiting budget when I am in a battle, but I'd guess that 90% of the players who I sign are signed exclusively through AP. I almost always have some recruiting budget left over at the end which I had been saving just in case I get a surprise contender for one of my uncontested players during RS2. 

Q: What is the MOST important thing you look for in a player when recruiting? 

A: My recruits must both meet the minimum requirement (around 45) in Athleticism and Defense, and must fulfill one other skill - passing, scoring, and rebounding. I tend to overvalue perimeter and 3 point shooting - the efficiency which a 99 PE player scores at DIII is very tough to overcome as an opponent. 

Q: What is your Offense and Defense preference for the DIII level? 

A: So I fully recognize the Press Defense is the best at DIII. Something like 60%-80% of DIII champions run a press defense. But I only play man or press. I have more success with Man, but I want to see if I can win a championship with a zone. I enjoy having the extra flexibility of being able to double team players when I'm not running a press defense. With the zone, I can get more imperfect players which is an advantage at the DIII level. On offense, I tend to do either motion or flex, but I am not particular on that end of the ball.

Q: What has been your favorite rebuilding team?

A: The one that was the hardest to leave was my alma mater. Trinity College (CT) in Tarkanian. The easiest to leave was Chestnut Hill in Rupp since I stayed in the conference with Hood. 

Q: What is your favorite college basketball team?

A: Oh boy, I don't really have one. I have family ties to a couple of big programs, but I grew up out of the country and went to a DIII school. I watch whenever a team has the most NBA prospects - so lately I have watched the most Kentucky, but I tend to cheer against them.

Q: What is your favorite sport to play in real life?

A: Rugby was my favorite sport to play before I graduated college and decided to stop. I especially enjoyed the strategy of Rugby, and for suck a physical game I thought the culture of respect was fascinating - everyone addresses the referees as "sir" and once the game is over, the home team invites the away team over to hang out after the game.

Q: What position would you or do your or did you play in that sport?

A: I was the scrumhalf of my junior and senior years. That position links between the small players (backs) and big players (forwards), calls some plays, and largely determines the tempo of the game. The way I played, it was more of a mental game that a physical one - I'm a remarkably un-athletic player, so I had to rely on my understanding of the game.

Q: What position would you play in Hoops Dynasty?

A: Bench? I suppose PG since I am short...but I can't pass or shoot.

Q: What would your rating be for that position?

A: I'd probably be your typical DIII walk on - most of my ratings would fall in work ethic and durability. I'd be on there to help with morale support.

Q: You are very good at the DIII level, what would you attribute that success?

A: I think trial and error drive my success. I like to try new strategies and see their payoffs. I evolve slowly, but I am constantly trying to improve what I do. I try to pick one area of the game and work on that. Efficient scouting, developing a long-term vision for the team, game planning with a man or zone defense are all examples of things I've worked on before. There are always coaches who do it better than I do, so I try to emulate what they are doing. I remember in 2.0 seeing how mfnmeyers at Dickinson (in every world) got SO many guys on their considering list and seemed still had enough funds to battle me for a recruit who was across the country. I worked out that he was offering a start and a scholarship to everyone on his list in order to scare off opponents, then would retract the scholarship from his backup options when signings began. I emulated that strategy and was able to improve my recruiting reach. 

Q: You seem to like changing jobs and rebuilding teams in just short turnaround times of 4-5 seasons, what do you look for when you do this and how are you so successful?

A: The idea when you take over a school is to get your players in there as quickly as possible. That means I will go for schools with lots of juniors and very few already signed scholarships during recruiting session 1. There is a glitch in the game that makes the already signed guys appear to be your signings, which makes them harder to cut, and lots of juniors means when the world rolls over you will have as many open spots as possible so your hand-picked recruits can come in and take over the school from the sim players. In addition, you should look at the benefits of the school itself. How many other schools are in the area? How populated is the area? If you can get a Colorado College or Palm Beach Atlantic at DIII, you can be in a great spot.

Q: What advice would you give a brand new player at Hoops Dynasty?

A:

1. Stick with it! The first season can be rough when you are using someone else's, players. Just stick with it. Find a friend who will join with you and then you can discuss strategies. 
2. Ask questions - the other coaches in your conference will want you to succeed.