DII openings in Central (CIAA) Topic

This conference put all 4 human-coached teams in the national tourney last season and will have a 5th next season.  Here are 3 good posts available for those that can look beyond the joys of riding someone else's coattails:
  1. St. Augustine's - will return 5 seniors that can play and 4 open scholarships.  James Richards and Wesley Jenkins both sorely deserve to be rescinded, but that will clean up the underclasses immediately.   With both point guards graduating, an incoming coach will need to find someone ready to play the point in a triangle & man right away.  If that can be managed, then this team can immediately compete in the Southern portion of the conference.
  2. Livingstone - 9 seniors return to play triangle & man with 1 sophomore.  If taken over by a human this season, then the team will have a great shot at the national tournament with that super-class of seniors.  You would have 2 open schollies this season and 8 the next.  John Shaeffer will return for a 5th season (as long as you keep him eligible [2.0 at D2]) and that returning sophomore, Ben Brown, appears to be worth keeping.  Simmy's seniors are surprisingly athletic and can play some defense.  If taken over with rising seniors, then the prestige bump from this season can be preserved for next season's recruiting.
  3. Elizabeth City State - To be honest, I might have dismissed ECSU.  However, those freshman are walk-ons and will leave.  There will be 6 open scholarships this season and the 2 seniors and 4 juniors that will return actually have some promise for this triangle and zone team.  The smart coach will find a transfer or JuCo center to play and rebound immediately, but then could take a walk-on or two to leverage all those recruiting dollars into D1 pulldowns while playing a slowdown zone.  This program is a diamond in the rough. 
4/2/2012 11:55 PM
rogelio - you crack me up - don't know what you do irl, but it better marketing, sales or pr! gl filling up your conference and i look foward to our annual game!
4/4/2012 8:58 PM
I cannot wait for the game each season.  

This is certainly the season to move up to D2.  Too many coaches only look at the prestige of the team to which they apply.  St. Augustine's really does only lack a PG to be very strong and Livingstone a C.  If properly played, both can be much more competitive this upcoming season than some more prestigious programs.  After that, in a few seasons, either could be at the top of D2.

I wish I could say I sell used cars, but I'd probably never sell any of them.  (Go to youtube and listen to Tom Waits' Christmas card from a hooker...do it...seriously.)
4/5/2012 9:46 PM
If you have D2 eligibility in Knight, then take a look at Livingstone now.  If that team adds a C that can play triangle & man, then it is guaranteed an at-large bid.  4 very good human-coached teams put it on the NC schedule.  I don't know why anyone would let Sim AI have the glory. - Filled! 
4/8/2012 10:08 AM (edited)
The Central (CIAA) is up to six active coaches and six sims.  However, there are only three worthwhile openings this season:

Shaw - It's been over 40 seasons since this team had a human coach, but it is time for another to take over.  The school will return 8 seniors with one very good junior PG.  One can easily see a starting lineup of Gates, GregoMouzon, Bernhard, & Winter winning the Central"s South Conference.  Two junior's schollies may need to be rescinded, but this zone team can afford at least one walkon and still win.  Feldman might even return for his 5th season the year after.  Simai wouldn"t put him on the court, but he should earn some minutes over the next two seasons,  The only cog that may need to be found is a perimeter player that can knock down a trey off the bench.

Livingstone - In my mind, this program is now primed to be rebuilt into a D2 power.  j000 brought in a couple freshman that will at least be very strong contributors over the next 3 seasons, Brown should also return to contribute, and, 1st Team All-Conference PG, Schaeffer should return for a 5th season and be a star player.  The big opportunity is provided by that B prestige (probably to drop to B- on a move up from D3) and those 8 open schollies.  One would probably want to take 6 strong freshman (handing one a redshirt), one JuCo or transfer student to play center this season and accept a walk-on, but this is the kind of opportunity that makes building a dynasty fun.

St. Paul's - I missed this one at first glance, but this post could be a true surprise team.  Ten upperclassmen will return - 5 seniors and 5 juniors.  Its highest rated player, Peter Carter, will be a junior and Wesley Williams, a junior, will have 3 seasons of eligibility remaining.  Two walk-ons will move-on and it is likely that Hoeft will need to be administered the old heave-ho to provide 3 openings to fill this season.  This team could win 20 next season and slide into the PI tourney, if not the NT.
5/6/2012 5:02 PM (edited)
When does recruiting begin?  I hate to make the commitment, then go on vacation and miss the opportunity to start building the team.
5/6/2012 2:29 PM
Recruiting begins on Thursday, May 10th @ 6 pm est.  I am updating my post above; j000 left Livingstone after taking it up to a B Prestige last season (if you like this game then I have no idea why you wouldn't re-up for that).  Simply put, if you won't have time to recruit, then take Shaw.  You only need to fill one position with a perimeter player that can come off the bench (it may even be smart not to follow my suggestion to rescind 2 of the sophomores - depending on the budget).  If you do have time to recruit, and want to build your own program, then take Livingstone.  
5/6/2012 4:47 PM (edited)
The Central is on the rise!  We now have 6 coaches, 3 of whom have won national championships.   That means there are 6 openings to fill as well.  The best among them are:

Livingstone - Sim AI & j000 did a decent job recruiting, that cupboard is not bare!  Only one schollie available and an obvious need at PG, but, with that, this team could compete immediately.  

Virginia St. - The returning seniors will have some talent.  After rescinding Simon & Pension, this fastbreak & FCP team could be refashioned into a contender quickly.

St. Paul's - This is a turn around dream!  5 seniors will return with 7 schollies open.  Wesley Williams should have 2 seasons of eligibility left, provided he keeps his GPA up.  The team will need a PG & PF ready to run motion & man.  However, a coach may decide to take the program in a brand new direction.  By the start of your second season, the team could be entirely remade.

 The best asset that Fayetteville St. has is 6 open schollies.  Finally, it would be difficult to recommend either Elizabeth City St. or St. Augustine's at this point.



6/9/2012 8:52 AM (edited)
Bump for the new jobs period...
7/9/2012 11:32 AM
Six coaches will return to this conference next season.  There is one position that is simply crying out for a coach that wants a safe bet to make the NT and one that can be rebuilt in a hurry:

Livingstone - This team is loaded with 11 quality players for the upcoming season.  Ryan Defelice improved 82 points in his sophomore year as a starter.  Earl Jiron will need to keep his grades up, but should have 3 more seasons of eligibility and looks to be a fine PF in the making.   SIMAI started the guards in their listed positions, but it is obvious that this team would be improved by moving Touchstone to SG & Jones to PG.   The single schollie could be used to find another perimeter player, but, even without one, this team is capable of two straight seasons of at-large NT berths.  

Virginia State - In the south division, this team will have 7 open schollies this season (with Brent Byrd returning for a 5th season) and 3 openings the next season.  A veteran coach might rescind Michael Simon's scholarship and take a walk-on to have 4 openings the following season.  That makes this FB & FCP team an opportunity to turn a program around in a hurry.  This position could be developed into a perennial power within a couple seasons and without completely tanking this first one.

7/9/2012 5:45 PM
Time to start recruiting coaches again.
8/9/2012 8:40 AM
The conference has 6 very active coaches.  3 in South: barretchap (DII Knight NT all-time wins leader & 2-time national champion),  yazooyokel (former DII national champion) & milwood.  And 3 in the North: mrbinson (winner of a national championship in another world), llamanunts & myself.  There is one opening in the North and one in the South that are very attractive:

Livingstone - 7 seniors return (Jiron will be eligible for a 5th season, if he keeps his grades up).  There are 3 open scollies to use to solidify the backcourt with a JuCo or transfer player that already knows triangle & man.  This team can go to the NT and bump the prestige even further before filling 6 for next season.  This is the perfect opportunity to build a team with no history into a dominant program.

St. Augustine's - this is a prime rebuilding takeover; 8 openings and Justice deserving to be rescinded makes 9.  You can remake this team into anything that you please.
8/10/2012 9:13 AM
5 postseason teams last season (3 NT, 2 PIT).  Should be more next season.  Most teams that are available are projects that can be shaped however you please.  Come try something random like all players from Asia or a lineup of all SFs.  These teams just need a human touch.
8/10/2012 6:33 PM
6 postseason teams this time around (5 NT, 1 PIT).  Looks like you got that one right, barretchap!  The Central is getting better with each passing season.
9/10/2012 4:05 PM
We are hoping to add at least couple more coaches this offseason.  The two openings that are worth a look are:

Virginia State - The 7 returning juniors have a very nice mix of talent to work with on this fastbreak & FCP team.  4 open scholarships will allow a coach to find some additional speed, but a quick look at some of the player's improvements last season should give a sense of what this team can be; and

Livingstone - This team now has 9 open scholarships and a B- prestige.  Earl Jiron is not returning for his 5th year (I'm not sure why not).  So, a new coach will have plenty of opportunity to remake this team completely in 2 seasons and be winning NT games in 3.
9/11/2012 8:43 AM (edited)
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DII openings in Central (CIAA) Topic

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