Developer Chat

Firings for DI coaches and player transfers will be added to the HD very soon. Prior to the implemenation of these enhancements, we'll be conducting a chat to answer any questions you may have.

Will a positive job status be a factor in to our being more hireable (make us more attractive to being promoted). Conversely, if our job status is on the downside, will that now more prevent us from being promoted (call it the Kelvin Sampson rule). (homerjoe1973 - Hall of Famer - 11:45 PM)

Yes, it's already indirectly a consideration in the job hiring process.

In forum it states "your job status can not decline if you've had a better season than the season prior". Is win / loss record the only thing that determins a "better season"? Is RPI not a better tool. (aspencooper - Hall of Famer - 11:48 PM)

No, wins and losses are not the only criteria - RPI, conference championships, conference tournament championships, post-season success and national ranking are just some of the other factors used in determining how successful a season was.

How quickly can you get fired? Will there be any modifications to allow us to cut players when we show up on campus and still get money to fill that 'ship? My concern is that you take over an elite that has had their roster wrecked by other simai competing against other elite and near elite human coaches. If you show up at UNC w/ a bad roster that can't compete in the ACC and only 1 open ship, its going to take at least 3 seasons to get the roster in order w/o cutting a bunch of kids right off the bat. (taz21 - Hall of Famer - 11:49 PM)

You can not get fired if your improving the program so if you take over a 3-24 UNC team and then turn them around to 15-14, your job status will not decline.

What will be the rehiring/job application process for a coach that decides "to spend more time with his family" (ie:is fired)? (nfet - Hall of Famer - 11:52 PM)

Assuming he doesn't take a job in the HD broadcast booth, a fired coach will have 6 applications to submit to other schools if he wants to take a job during the job change period. Those applications will be judged against other coaches who are applying for the same job. Otherwise, he can take a job once the world opens for new coaches or if he misses that window, he can still reserve a team for the following season.

How much will being fired effect your rep? (daalter - Hall of Famer - 11:53 PM)

It will not damage your reputation nor your loyalty.

what are expectations based on, team rating (a 730 team in d1 better make the sweet 16 or you are out) or team history (a PI after 3 straight sweet 16's and you are out?) or team prestige? (oldresorter - Hall of Famer - 11:57 PM)

The requirements will vary based on the school and the AD along with your job status at the conclusion of each season will give you a good idea of what is/isn't acceptable. You can not be fired unless your job status had already dropped to 'in jeopardy' so if you're job status is Ok and you take Duke to the PIT, you won't be fired. The only exception is if the WCAA puts the program on probation or some other extreme reputation-jarring event occurs.

How do the schools come up with expectations for new coaches? I.E., what factors into an expected level of success for each coach? (cimmy426 - Hall of Famer - 11:59 PM)

Each school has minimum levels of success for the program that they want to achieve. As a new coach, you won't necessarily be held to those standards as long as you're improving the program over the prior season.

Is it conceivable that if I go 29-3 at, say, Duke, but get upset in the first or 2nd round, my job status could go down, even though 29-3, on its own, would likely meet expectations? (homrbush - Hall of Famer - 0:03 AM)

Most likely not - although it depends on other factors (national ranking, RPI, conference champion, conference tournament champion, etc.). Although if you were considered by the administration as 'exceeding expectations' going into that season, it could *possibly* drop to 'ok', but that's still very safe.

does recovery from probation resulting from prior coach count as ok seasons - I am thinking of Gary Williams early years at Maryland - the team was on probation because of prior coach - they sucked - not fired - how will SIM handle? (mamxet - Hall of Famer - 9:33 AM)

The same in HD - as long as the coach is improving the program, his job status can decline.

What kind of e-mail or wording on the job status be? What will happen when you go to log in and you have no team any more? (cjbphoto - Hall of Famer - 9:36 AM)

If you are fired, the only page you will have access to is the jobs page. You will still be able to submit applications (up to 6) and you will be notified via email if you receive one of those jobs. If you receive a new job, you'll then have full access to the team just like any other coach.

So low level schools are going to expect NIT appearances? The way it is worded in the release notes it seems that 3 years of not making the NIT for a low level school will put a coach in jeopardy. That seems a little high since low level schools are already at a big disadvantage. (cyoung187 - Hall of Famer - 9:56 AM)

No, the lowest level DI schools won't expect PIT bids - you can get by with much less (14-14,15-12,etc.) at those schools and still not see your job status decline.

The introduction letters from schools indicate that we will be allowed to get our own recruits into the program before we are to be judged on our performance. Is this still true? (cyoung187 - Hall of Famer - 10:02 AM)

It depends - if you're asking if there is time to allowed to 'rebuild' a program, then yes. If you're taking over a power program (e.g. you leave Rutgers to take over a sim-controlled UNC team that just went to the Elite 8) then no - there expecting continued success immediately.

So if I take over a team that just won a NC with 10 seniors, im pretty much screwed? (cyoung187 - Hall of Famer - 10:05 AM)

That should be rare to have a team with 10 seniors, but yes, that would not be a good situation to get into as the expectations will be high for that program. That said, you will have some time (a couple of seasons) before you're really held to those standards.

After being fired, will it ever be possible that you have to go from DI to DII? (jjboogie - Hall of Famer - 10:06 AM)

Yes, that is very possible - it will really depend on the level of school you were fired from - being fired from Morehead State will almost definitely mean your next job would be in DII.

the summary says Reputation is also school-dependent so some schools (e.g. Ivy League, Stanford, Duke) expect more from their coach than a UNLV or Fresno St. although I would have guessed the Ivies, and I will - with reluctance accept that Duke could belong on that list - will there be some way for us to know if a school answers to a higher standard? (metsmax - Hall of Famer - 10:09 AM)

Yes, in two places - we will be adding that information to the job page and your AD will let you know if he has any concerns at the conclusion of the season.

Are all coaches going to start out with the same security ... shouldn't coaches who have put in time and had success at a program have higher security? (daalter - Hall of Famer - 11:06 AM)

No - once the changes are implemented, coaches will begin at either 'exceeding expecatations' or 'ok' based on what they've done. No one will start lower than 'ok' (which is the default for all new coaches or job changes).

since we won't hear from our AD if our job status doesn't change does that mean you're still working on the "year end job evaluations" that previously have been listed in the in the "what we're working on" list? (nfet - Hall of Famer - 11:07 AM)

No - those are the job evaluations.

In the summary you said that "your job status can not decline if you've had a better season than the season prior" does this include seasons where you coached, or does it only apply in your first season at a new school? (nfet - Hall of Famer - 11:08 AM)

That only applies to the current school you are coaching at.

Will school expectations be fixed, or will they fluctuate from season to season, like prestige? (bluespruce - Hall of Famer - 11:11 AM)

Both, if that makes any sense. For the most part, each school's administration has expectations of where they want the program to be but reaching their minimum level of success is not fully expected right away for a new coach or if the program has been down.

Scenario: I take over a program that won the National Championship the season before. They did so because they had a "super" class say 8 SR's and 4 Jr's. I start off as OK. I go 8-19. I am guessing I am going to be in jeopardy the next season. Now since I have 8 SO's and 4 FR's I go 6-21. I am guessing I am going to be fired? (thegrapeape - Hall of Famer - 11:14 AM)

I don't think it will be that drastic. More likely, your job status would stay at ok after your first season and then drop to 'boosters complaining' after your 6 win campaign. If you followed that up with another 6 win campaign then you'd drop to 'in jeopardy'. The point being that you'll have ample time to turn a program around.

You're job status cannot go down if you improved over the previous season; what if you have an identical record, but are still below the prestige expectations of the school? (homrbush - Hall of Famer - 11:17 AM)

Since the success of a season is not judged based only on wins, it would be very difficult to have back to back identical seasons - but let's say you did - then yes, you could see your job status drop. E.g. if you take over a 3-24 Duke team and then go 15-15 your job status would stay ok. If you follow that up with another (identical) 15-15 season, you could see your job status drop to 'boosters complaining'.

Any chance of a better indication of requirements / expectation prior to applying? Say School "X" having expectations of 2nd round or better WCAA run and 22+ wins / season and requiring very high reputation and loyalty ratings, compared to School "Y" having expectations of regular post-season play and requiring high reputation and loyalty. (groomsie - Hall of Famer - 11:18 AM)

Yes, that is a feature that will be added.

If you accept a transfer on to your squad, will they have to sit out one season? Or will they be eligible immediately? (tizzle27 - Veteran - 11:23 AM)

They will be eligible immediately.

When will we know if someone is transfering and will we get additional money added to our recruiting budget? (gjp18 - Hall of Famer - 11:25 AM)

It depends - if a player quits at the end of the season, then yes, you'll receive additional recruiting dollars for that opening. If you rescind a player's scholarship, then no - you'll be able to fill his spot but you won't receive additional dollars to do it with during the next recruiting period.

Will players generally only transfer if you break promises, or will they leave if they simply feel like they're not getting enough PT? (daalter - Hall of Famer - 11:29 AM)

Both. Currently coaches are notified by their recruits if they are unhappy about broken promises. Those players are obviously very likely to transfer if the coach doesn't make the player happy. You will also have some players (primarily sophomores and juniors) who are unhappy about their role on the team and will also notify the coach. Again, the coach will have an opportunity to address the issue. In both instances, it does mean that a player will transfer, but they may.

Two questiosn concerning transfers: Will the player that is transferring contact schools he is interested in midseason, at the end of the season, or just be spit back into the recruiting pile? Will the players transferring have to redshirt a year or not depending on what division/school they go to? (bscoresby - Hall of Famer - 11:31 AM)

They will not contact schools until after the season and they formally make their decision to transfer.

As far as transfers go, will a player let you know during the season if he is not happy? Also, if a player transfers, will it negativly impact your Rep? (ahausla - Hall of Famer - 11:33 AM)

Yes, you will be notified during the season if a player is unhappy. If he transfers because of broken promises or your rescind his scholarship then yes, that can impact your reputation. If he transfers to get more playing time somewhere else, then no, that won't have a negative impact on your reputation.

will you ever lose a star player, from transferring, to a better team? An example from the real world would be Byron Mouton transferring from Tulane to Maryland after winning the rookie of the year for his conference. (colorblind79 - Hall of Famer - 11:36 AM)

It's possible if you're making promises you can't keep to land a recruit who then quits and then signs with a more prestigious program.

If this is even possible what happens if a Sophmore or a Junior try to transfer but dont get into a school and they cant go to Junior College? (zagsrulez - Hall of Famer - 11:37 AM)

While unlikely, it's possible. In that case, the kid ends his collegiate basketball career and dominates the local YMCA league.

So If I move from one school to another, is there a chance that one of my players from the previous school may also want to transfer to my new school since I recruited and coached him? (cyoung187 - Hall of Famer - 11:38 AM)

Yes, it is possible.

How will you be able to "recruit" transfers? Will it be during recruiting? If so - will they be listed as J1's or some other way to know they have lost a year of eligibility but have gained experience? (jjboogie - Hall of Famer - 11:40 AM)

You will recruit them the same way you recruit HS or JUCO players. There will be an indication that the player is a transfer and how many years of eligibility they have remaining.

one of the stated reasons for transfers will be a coaching change - will that happen a. all the time b. randomly c. depends on the reputation of the new coach d. depends on something else? I'd like to know what about me may lead kids to leave, other than the really awful plaid pants that I often wear to practice (metsmax - Hall of Famer - 11:43 AM)

It's primarily just plaid pants, well, that and your reputation - ok, not so much the pants but your reputation and making decisions such as rescinding scholarships as soon as you arrive. You won't see much of these types of transfers though.

So if I take over a new job that has say 3 socholarships and they have 1 or 2 players that I would like to cut. I sign 3 during the 1st signing period. I can't then cut one of the unwanted players and go out an sign another player. I know I don' t get more money, but this is something I have done several times and seen other do it as well. (woofan - Hall of Famer - 11:46 AM)

That's correct - you would need to make the decision prior to the point when signings begin. This is for two reasons - 1.) This follows real life - in real life scholarships are renewed prior each season and 2.) if you do cut the kid, he needs to have time to find another school to play at since he'll be transferring.

Will we be able to talk the kid into staying,if so how can that be done? (cjbphoto - Hall of Famer - 11:50 AM)

The players will contact you and although you can't call them to chat (unlisted number), you have the option of giving them more of whatever they're asking for (playing time or starts).

You said this: "Also, as part of this change, the window to rescind a player's scholarship will be limited to between the end of the job change period and the start of signings in the next recruiting period." This will prevent coaches from drastically overhauling rosters when we go to a new program. The AD doesn't allow us to cut enough players before signings. We fix rosters as we sign kids. Would you consider relaxing that AD limit for our first season at a new job at least? (bspisak - Hall of Famer - 9:52 PM)

That is correct, scholarships will now only be able to be rescinded once the job change period concludes and prior the start of signings during the following recruiting period. With regards to restrictions your AD places on you, those have been reduced at the DI level.

For transfering players...will there be a separate search critera on the recruiting search (ex. HS, JC1, JC2, Transf)? This is important, because these will be "new" players that won't show up when we are looking for recruits in season...they won't show until recruiting starts. (wilhitec - Hall of Famer - 7:55 PM)

Yes, additional search functionality will be added to allow you to search by years of eligibility remaining for HS, JUCO and transfers.

Will each school receive a list of expectation so we know how we are doing or what we need to do to improve? (jlovicz - Hall of Famer - 7:27 AM)

Anytime your job status changes then you'll receive a note from your AD letting you know if the administration is happy/unhappy with your performance. Although we are looking at adding both rough success and reputation requirements during to the jobs page.

When are the firing and transfer changes scheduled to take place? (hermrats - Veteran - 4:39 PM)

We're in final testing now. Once that's complete, both firings and transfers will be implemented for all worlds. I would expect within the next 7-10 days. As mentioned earlier, every coach's job status will be set to either 'ok' or 'exceeding expectations' based on how they've performed - prior to firings being 'turned on'.

Does the transfer component, increase the odds that an unhappy player will leave his school or is transfering just an new option for players that would have previously quit the team and dropped out of the game? (starrider19 - Hall of Famer - 4:41 PM)

Yes, in addition to players that would have quit for broken promises, players could also quit the team if they're not happy with their playing time (this is new).

I see redshirting as linked to promises and transfers - any chance that there will be a check box in the course of recruiting some day to indicate - "inform of possible redshirt" - which could reduce somewhat (varies by kid) the chances of signing but increase somewhat (varies by kid) the chances that he will accept a redshirt if he does sign??? (mamxet - Hall of Famer - 7:06 PM)

Yes, I definitely think you'll see that option added.

If a scouting report on a player says that he is a team player who will do anything you ask of him, is it safe to assume that he will not quit due to lack of playing time (assuming no promises are broken)? (rak - Hall of Famer - 7:08 PM)

I would never assume that but it should decrease the likelihood of him being upset with his minutes.

Will the overall success of the team (or lack thereof) have any impact on whether a player wants to transfer? (daalter - Hall of Famer - 7:13 PM)

Yes, it does play a small role in the decision but it is not the main criteria as to whether a kid will want more playing time (which may subsequently lead to a transfer decision).

Why will transfers not have to sit out one season, like NCAA regulations? I would think this would be pretty easy to administer. (wilhitec - Hall of Famer - 7:25 PM)

It's actually only an issue between DI schools in real life and it's not that simple to administer as you're dealing with what a team will look like (scholarships open, scholarships available, probation, etc.) a season from now. In addition, in real life each DI conference can impose their own transfer requirements/penalties (note: St. Bonaventure no longer accepts welding certificates).

How do transfers because the coach left work? For example, if a coach gets promoted in the 1st promotion cycle will players drop off immediately? This will make a difference in applying for certain jobs. (Weena - Hall of Famer - 7:29 PM)

They won't transfer until the new head coach is named and even then it's onlyl going to be precipitated by an event (a response to a decision or rescinding a teammate's scholarship).

Will the AD consider injuries when looking at my season? If I have a poor season because I lost my star Center due to injury will my status suffer because he wasn't there to help me win? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 7:34 PM)

No, injuries are not a consideration when evaluating your performance but then again, no one can get fired after only a single season (unless you bring national shame to the program in some way).

Can job status change based on prior season success? For example, if I am coaching a low level DI school that only expects me to be above .500 and I go 25-5 will my status change if I only go 18-10 the following season? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 7:38 PM)

In that instance, no, for both seasons you are viewed by the administration as 'exceeding expectations'.

If a transfer player decides to nofify me that he is interested in playing for my school, will that happen at the beginning of recruiting or will it be late in recruiting like in DIII? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 7:42 PM)

It depends - if he quits his team after the season concludes, you'd be notified immediately (during the job change period). If he's cut from the team or leaves after the new coach is named, then he could contact you anytime from the end of the job change period to the start of signings in the next recruiting period.

If a player is unhappy with his current playing time can you promise him playing time or a start for the next season? (kelby_03 - Hall of Famer - 7:43 PM)

No, the only option would be to give him more playing time or not (and risk him transferring at the end of the season).

Could you try to resign a transfer that left your team? (kelby_03 - Hall of Famer - 7:44 PM)

Yes, but the responses will be chilly.

Am I correct in assuming that if a coach is fired from a mid-major that he will not be hired at a comparable job at the same level and should look at a level lower than his previous job? eg. mid or low level only. (Weena - Hall of Famer - 7:46 PM)

Actually it depends on why he was fired. If he was fired because of reputation issues and success, he could find another job at the same level as long as the school has lower standards for their coaches (e.g. Tarkanian, Huggins).

How "chilly" will the response be? There won't be any chance of getting him back or it will just take a little more effort than other schools? (kelby_03 - Hall of Famer - 7:54 PM)

Let's see, what do the recruits say? Oh right, "I don't want to say you have NO chance, but you have NO chance."

If a player transfers say due to lack of playing time and then a new coach takes over that school, will the player then consider that school again? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 7:58 PM)

No, he'll never, ever, never play there. Did I say never?

As always, thanks for the time and effort. I am looking forward to these changes. (Weena - Hall of Famer - 8:02 PM)

You're welcome. Thanks for the questions.

As always, thanks for taking the time to submit your questions, comments and suggestions!