We recently contacted SimLeague Basketball user, Tarheel1991, to discuss drafting teams, allocating minutes, using the waiver wire, Michael Jordan, Pete Sampras, George Lucas, UNC and Jessica Alba.
Tarheel1991
My name is Andy. I’m 22 and I just graduated from The University of North Carolina (Go Heels). I’m from North Carolina and about to move to Connecticut to take a job with ESPN’s Data Group.
WIS
How did you learn about WhatIfSports.com?
Tarheel1991
A few years ago when I was in high school, a friend and I stumbled onto the site in the school library. I was hooked right from the start.
WIS
Which of our games have you played? And which do you prefer?
Tarheel1991
I’ve played at least one season of every game that WIS has to offer (although only one season each of HBD, CRD, and Simleague Hockey). Most of my time these days is spent on Gridiron Dynasty and Simleague basketball, and I’d say those are my two favorites.
WIS
Besides simulation sports websites, what are some of your other interests and hobbies?
Tarheel1991
I play fantasy sports and real-life sports, whenever I get a chance, and collect sports cards. I also play poker and video games, and I’m an avid reader and a huge history buff. And, I’m a huge fan of both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve got a couple thousand Star Wars cards in my closet.
WIS
Who are some of your favorite coaches, players and teams of all-time?
Tarheel1991
Ray Lankford, Ozzie Smith, Albert Pujols, Michael Jordan, Darrell Green, Al MacInnis, Landon Donovan, Brian McBride, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, and Jawad Williams are some of my favorite athletes (as you can tell, I spread the love around a few different sports). Roy Williams, Phil Jackson, and Dean Smith are my favorite coaches. As for teams…I’ll go with the UNC Women’s Soccer team (my sister is a keeper for the current squad), the 2005 UNC Basketball National Champs, MJ’s Bulls, the 2006 Cardinals World Series Champs, and any team that gives Duke a good smack down.
WIS
Did you play much basketball (or other sports) growing up?
Tarheel1991
I played basketball, baseball, soccer, and tennis from an early age, and played all of them at some point in high school. I was better at basketball and baseball when I was little, but soccer and tennis ended up being my best sports.
WIS
Which five people, past or present, sit at your dream roundtable?
Tarheel1991
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Civil War figure), Michael Jordan, George Patton, George Lucas, and Jessica Alba (hope the old guys don’t stare too much)
WIS
What players did you admire most growing up?
Tarheel1991
Cal Ripken Jr., and Ozzie Smith are the first two that come to mind. Neither put up the most overwhelming numbers, but both of those guys came to play and play hard every night. Plus, they were great to their fans, and the fans loved them for it. Not to mention, Ozzie did flips, and I’ve always wished I could do flips.
WIS
What is your favorite sports moment?
Tarheel1991
When UNC won the national championship in basketball in 2005, my freshman year of college. I’ve never been so overwhelmed with emotion before. I just ran out on Franklin Street and Chapel Hill and stood there for a minute or so…then joined 60,000 other people going absolutely nuts.
WIS
What is your favorite WIS moment?
Tarheel1991
Winning the national championship with Tulsa in GD World Rockne, a really long time ago. I was the first coach to win a national title in DIA.
WIS
As a fan of basketball, what are your thoughts on the current state of the game?
Tarheel1991
I love both college basketball and the NBA, although the NBA is only really fun to watch in the playoffs. I think the NBA is doing great; they’ve recovered well from the doldrums of the post-Jordan era and I think people are starting to notice that they play really good and genuinely entertaining basketball. The only thing I really have a problem with is the absurd age limit, which basically forces guys into college that have no desire to be there and no business in a classroom. I’d kinda like to see the NBA and NCAA adopt a similar draft rule to baseball – you can be drafted right out of high school if you want, but if you go to college you have to stay for three years (maybe we can make it two years for basketball). Then guys would actually have to go to class for more than one semester, and genuinely be students. I think it’d help continuity in college basketball a lot. Then there’s the problem with recruiting, and money and jobs being spread around to AAU coaches and handlers and posses…I don’t even know how to deal with that.
WIS
What is the top sports related thing you want to do in life that you have not yet done?
Tarheel1991
Well, there are a lot of things, since I’m still pretty young. I think #1 on the list would be to watch a USA World Cup game in person. Watching an NBA Finals game courtside can be a close but unrealistic 2nd.
WIS
With SimLeague basketball, what is your general strategy for building teams?
Tarheel1991
I like to think that I can build a successful team several different ways. I usually try to build teams that have a very high efg%, high rebounds, and 2-3 players with defensive ratings over 85. Sometimes I have most of my minutes eaten up by my starting five and a bunch of scrubs on the bench; sometimes I have a seven or eight man rotation. I think finding different ways to build a team is one of the most fun parts of the game.
WIS
What is the most important thing to keep in mind while drafting?
Tarheel1991
Well, there are a lot of things to take into account when drafting, so it’s hard to pick just one. I think the most important thing to do is pay attention to your total minutes. If you’re in an open league, or any league that has rookies, don’t forget about them. You only need about 19700 minutes total, and rookies can usually handle around 1000 of them, so you don’t need to draft more than about 18500-18900 minutes. If you do, you’re wasting money and putting yourself at a slight disadvantage. In leagues without rookies, the same is true – try to get your minutes as close to 19500-19700 as possible. If you get many more minutes than that, then you’re wasting money on minutes that could be spent on better quality.
WIS
Are there any players in specific that you feel consistently under or overachieve?
Tarheel1991
I don’t know if he really overachieves, but I’ve seen and had Bill Russell on more successful teams than anyone. I also think Reggie Miller performs really well; the SIM must have a clutch factor built in. Guys who never seem to perform up to their price tag are Shaq and Tim Duncan, but maybe I just don’t know how to use them very well. I think you can build a successful team around just about anybody in the SIM, if you can figure out the right supporting cast.
WIS
How do you go about setting your depth chart and allocating minutes?
Tarheel1991
Of course, it depends on the team you have. I usually set my depth chart by giving my starters (or rotation players, if I have a 7 or 8 man rotation) their full minutes, then filling in the rest with scrubs and/or rookies. If there are rookies, I’ll probably be switching guys in and out a lot; if not, my depth chart will usually stay about the same all year.
WIS
Do your game plans for offense and defense differ based on the team you have? What do you normally do with these settings?
Tarheel1991
I like to build up-tempo teams mostly, but I don’t just make any team up-tempo – it has to be built correctly. Sometimes I’ll just run half-court offense, but I’ve never really had a slow-down team. Defensively, I’m almost always in the half court – never been able to press all that effectively.
WIS
How much emphasis do you put on scouting future opponents and double-teaming?
Tarheel1991
Honestly, not a whole lot. I probably should do it more now that there are the +/- settings for defending post- or perimeter-oriented teams. Usually, the only time I’ll double-team is if one guy is head and shoulders above his teammates in scoring (usually Wilt) and even then I’m not sure how effective it really is.
WIS
Do you make transactions (call-ups/demotions, waiver wire, etc.) during the season? Why or why not?
Tarheel1991
I never use the waiver wire; if you have to, you’re probably already in trouble. If there are rookies, I’m usually constantly calling up/down my bench players to make sure that they stay fresh.
WIS
What is your favorite aspect of SimLeague basketball?
Tarheel1991
Building teams. I think one of the great things about SL Basketball is that you can really give your team so many different kinds of character, and you have a pretty good amount of control over it if you know what you’re doing.
WIS
What is your least favorite aspect of SimLeague basketball?
Tarheel1991
There’s not much I don’t like. I do think the post-update defensive ratings are a little out of control, but it’s still very hard to shut down teams defensively, so it’s not a big deal. I’d like to see the game become a little more intricate, especially in the game coaching area, although it would probably make me worse at the game. There were good steps towards that in the last update, and I hope it continues.
WIS
If you were in one of our games, which sport would you play? At which position? And, how much would you be worth?
Tarheel1991
I would be a SL Basketball player, 100% at SG and SF and not any higher than 80% elsewhere. I would have a FG% around 45% or so and a 3pt % around 37%, and I would take a lot of threes, so I’d have a good efg%. I’d be kind of bad at rebounding, decent assists, but defense around 30 and terrible stamina, so maybe 1200 minutes. I guess I’d be worth somewhere around 1.5 million -2 million, and be a great bench addition for a good team!
WIS
Who is Tarheel1991?