Developer Chat

As announced on February 5th, we will be implementing changes to recruit/player IQs.

Great change! Thanks a lot! Here's the Question: Will the new varying IQ have a correlation to a players WE and/or HS GPA. IE will a player with a high WE be more likely to have a higher Bball IQ? Or the same with HS gpa? Or is the new IQ completely random and just a part of a player 'personality' so to say? (zhawks - Hall of Famer - 11:20 AM)

Thanks Zach - logically there probably is some level of correlation between IQ and particular knowledge of a particular offense/defense but we decided to not include either work ethic or IQ when assigning them for recruits for a couple of reasons - first, not all high school/JUCO coaches may be good teachers so even with a smart kid with high work ethic could be limited by his current coach, second they may have just switched to that offense/defense in high school so we can't assume they've all been playing a particular offense/defense for 4 years and lastly, we didn't want it to be just a matter of looking at a couple of items on a kid's profile and easily deducing what his starting IQ would be.

How high/low will high school Juco IQs go? Could we see a kid w/ a B or even A knowledge in man? On the flip side could a real dummy come into college w/ only a D- IQ in press if that is what his team ran? (ocho_cinco - Pro - 11:22 AM)

Incoming freshman all currently come in at a C- in the offense/defense that they played in high school. Going forward, they'll come in anywhere from a D- to a B-. It will be your typical distribution with a few players at the extremes and the bulk still coming in at C-.

does this mean some guys will come in with IQs less than C- in their HS/JUCO offense and defense, too? (wronoj - Hall of Famer - 11:23 AM)

Yes.

Will the hidden IQ of a player impact his recruiting "Star" rating. IE, a player with decent ratings that we see like always, who normally would be a 3 or 4 star guy, may be a 5-star recruit if his IQ's are great? (clarebear - Hall of Famer - 11:25 AM)

Yes - starting IQ is a factor in how recruits are ranked.

Will this affect DI player rankings? That is, 2 players with the same ratings, but one with a B in the flex and one with a D+: will the B player now be rated higher at his position? If so, what does this mean for recruits already generated, say, for Smith world? Thanks! (jeffdrayer - Hall of Famer - 11:31 AM)

Thanks Jeff, good question - all recruits already generated have varying IQs already so you'll see no change in rankings/stars/etc.

How will we know how good a players IQ will be during recruiting? How specific will the feedback be? What is the highest IQ an incoming Frosh could have? (wilhitec - Hall of Famer - 11:33 AM)

You'll receive additional information in both scouting trips as well as calls to their coaches, e.g. "relative to the other kids I've coached, he's better than any I've seen at understanding the flex." or "I'm not sure if he was sick or what, but he was out of position all night in the press."

Will the "out of high school" IQ levels be capped for Divisions? For example, will the best D1 recruits have a higher Motion IQ cap than the best D3 recruits who ran Motion in high school? (jaisonline - Hall of Famer - 11:34 AM)

No, all recruits, regardless of target division, are treated equally with regards to starting collegiate IQ possibilities.

Approximately how many O/D sets for high schools will completely change as a result of this update? (horsefan3277 - Pro - 11:36 AM)

It's going to be completely random so in theory every school could be running new sets.

Is IQ always just for the player? what I mean for example... if a coach runs a motion for four seasons at one school and is successful, does the coaches ability to teach the motion apply to the players ability to learn? especially as a coach moves up. (Rose14 - Hall of Famer - 11:38 AM)

Yes, it's only for the players at this point. Currently we don't have a tie between how long a coach has run a specific offense/defense and use that to impact the rate of learning for future teams/players.

Could a kid have knowledge in both Man & zone coming out of high school? (ocho_cinco - Pro - 11:40 AM)

Yes. Beginning with recruiting in Naismith, you may see a high school or JUCO that primarily runs a combo defense (e.g. halfcourt press/zone). In that situation, a freshman will have between a D- and B- coming in to college in press AND between a D- and B- in zone. JUCO players will have higher ranges.

will having a team full guys(lets say 10) with A IQ's help a freshman learn the offense faster? (Fregoe - Hall of Famer - 2:51 PM)

No, the only factors that go into IQ improvement once they get to college are playing time, starts, work ethic, practice time and their intelligence.

If it's just "a few players at the extremes and the bulk still coming in at C-", would it be correct to say that the change is fairly minor? (daalter - Hall of Famer - 2:58 PM)

I wouldn't categorize it as minor, more as mid-major - unless I was talking to an AD from the A-10 and then I'd say it was major.

On average, there are 4,300 recruits available each world, each season. Only 46% of those will come in with the same starting IQ as before (C-, C-) - that means 2,300+ will have some variation on that. In addition, with some number of those recruits now playing combo defenses, more recruits will be attractive to more programs.

When you say that "intellect" is a factor in rate of IQ improvement, does that mean that GPA affects IQ improvement? If not, what is meant by intellect? (jetsonsa - Hall of Famer - 3:01 PM)

Each player has an underlying IQ - much of that can be garnered during the recruiting respones. High school gpa is a good indicator, but it's not a linear relationship, e.g. I can't definitively say the kid with the 3.9 HS gpa is smarter (or will learn an O/D faster) than a kid with a 3.8 or 3.7 gpa.

In regard to PT & starts affecting IQ improvement, is there a specific target that will optimize improvement (i.e. anyting over 15 mpg is treated equally)? In other words will 20 MPG improve IQ faster than 15 MPG? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:09 PM)

Our goal isn't to have all Seniors become A+ in an offense/defense. Our goal is to benefit the kids that play more and penalize the kids that play less so, ideally, what you see in the future will not be drastically different from what you see today - just how we get there. Not sure if this helps you, but the average kid in HD is playing 17 mpg.

In terms of PT/starts affecting IQ improvement, if someone starts and plays 15 minutes, how much of a difference would there be compared to if he just played 15 minutes off the bench? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:10 PM)

Playing time carries more weight than starting - the primary reason for including starts at all in that logic is the assumption that the starters will get more attention during practice than the non-starters.

effects of playing time on IQ increase - will it be that minutes played leads a player to improve at the OFF and DEF that he plays or the OFF and DEF that he practices? they may differ of course.... (mamxet - Hall of Famer - 3:13 PM)

Good point - what they play in games will impact their IQ - so if the team is playing zone but practicing press, the player would benefit from playing zone in games and benefit from practicing press.

In the old system, all seniors, regardless of smarts, WE, and prior knowledge, basically left with an A I.Q. (or better). However, we all know there are plenty of seniors out there who never quite "get the offense." In the new system, if I recruit 5 freshman (regardless of IQ, WE, prior knowledge, and minutes played) can I still expect them to leave in four years with A "I.Q's" or should I expect more diversity than in the past? If so, how much more diversity (the more the better in my opinion!)? (mccabemi - Hall of Famer - 3:16 PM)

As I mentioned above in response to Rails' question, and which I should clarify here, while you can expect the overall average to be the same for Seniors, e.g. let's say today seniors average an A- IQ. In the future, the average may be the same but you'll have more As/A+s and more Bs/B-s to get to the same average.

what is the approximate weighting for IQ improvement b/w practice time and game time? Will it be heavily weighted toward practice? (jdno - Hall of Famer - 3:18 PM)

Yes, it will still be heavily weighted towards practice since they're practicing at a ratio of 7/1 (practice time to game time) in real life.

In Worlds not recruiting for a while will the PT and starts improvements start immediately or must we wait for next season? (gighul1 - Veteran - 3:19 PM)

That change will begin immediately for all worlds starting tomorrow (first game would be the AM games on 2/9).

Could a freshman player, realistically, be a major contributor now with this new change? (gjp18 - Hall of Famer - 3:22 PM)

They can contribute right now but most coaches tend to lean on their upperclassmen. You see it more in HD when a mid-major type program lands a top prospect. But overall yes, it should help make it easier for some freshman to contribute more than they do today.

Say you have a Freshman with Ave IQ and WE. He is getting around 2 min's per game in Mopup time. Will his IQ now improve LESS quickly than before? (wilhitec - Hall of Famer - 3:26 PM)

All else being equal, yes, his IQ would improve slower than it would before since the average freshman in HD is playing more than 2 mpg.

With starts and game time now impacting IQ, does this detract a bit from the impact of the other components to IQ or is the ceiling raised a bit for each player? (jdno - Hall of Famer - 3:27 PM)

The core methodology for handling IQ improvement is basically remaining unchanged - we're viewing minutes and starts as modifiers (which can be positive or negative).

so what we play in Crum (currently in the OOC portion of the sched) tomorrow night will now effect our IQ improvement? (wrightflyer - All-Star - 3:30 PM)

Yes.

Will kids who were slow iq learners in HS (D- in the set they played, for instance) continue to learn more slowly in college (and vice versa with the fast learners)? (daalter - Hall of Famer - 3:32 PM)

No, there is no tie from where they started and how quickly they learn.

In addition, we have also incorporated playing time/starts as another variable which impacts the rate of IQ improvement once players get to college (in addition to work ethic, intellect and practice time). will this be retro-active? Will my Soph's that started in freshmen year see any bump over night or in the offseason? (twmiles - All-Star - 3:34 PM)

No, it will no be retroactive as coaches may have played kids differently in the past if they would have known that he's going to drop from a B- to a C+ (which would be the case for some players if it was implemented retroactively). It's only on a go-forward basis.

If a guy played a combo, will (on average) he be a little less proficient in both defenses than the average guy who played just one defense? (daalter - Hall of Famer - 3:37 PM)

No, there isn't a downward adjustment for combo-defense recruits. It's possible to have an incoming freshman that's B- in press and B- in man to man (rare but possible).

Will it remain where IQ cannot decrease? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:37 PM)

Yes, once you learn it, it's in the vault.

Follow up to daalter's question, if they have poor GPA and WE and this was the reason for their D- in HS, won't this mean they won't improve their IQ as much in college since GPA and WE influence IQ improvement? (jdno - Hall of Famer - 3:41 PM)

That really goes back to the resposne to the very first question (sorry to make you scroll), but their initial IQ is being set at random for the reasons stated above. So when recruiting, the ideal recruit would be well versed in my offense/defense AND be able to learn quicker than most AND have great skills AND not be lured by the evils of David Stern and Cribs.

Will a recruit who plays a combo defense always have the same rating in each defense? (mccabemi - Hall of Famer - 3:42 PM)

No, he may be great at the press and poor at man to man (for example). During recruiting you'll find out about both if they play a combo-defense.

What sort of effect will playing time / starts have on IQ? Will redshirts be nerfed in their IQ development? (stevea3 - All-Star - 3:44 PM)

I believe I've answered the first part of your question, but you raise a good point about redshirts - they will (on average) have slower IQ improvements than in the past.

What's the highest IQ that a freshman will have under the new system? JUCO2? Will walk-ons now have varying levels of IQ as well? (lostmyth2 - Hall of Famer - 3:46 PM)

The answer to your first question is above. For JUCOs, it will vary based on how much eligiblity they have left but in general the range will be higher than for incoming freshman. Yes, walkons will also now have variable IQs.

besides the example responses you gave earlier, what is the difference between C-, C, C+, B- responses from high school coaches and scouting trips? (gjp18 - Hall of Famer - 3:49 PM)

You will not learn during recruiting the exact IQ a player will report to campus with. The responses will be more general giving you enough information to determine whether the player is below average, average or above average.

Awesome changes! I love the fact you're always enhancing the game. Would love to see "caps" on IQ- but I won't hold my breath! (mccabemi - Hall of Famer - 3:50 PM)

It's ok if you do, you'll just pass out and probably wake up with your eyebrows shaved off.

Will there be any changes to how IQ is used in games? (Players with lower IQ's will perform worse in games than they used to, etc..) (trink119 - Hall of Famer - 3:50 PM)

No, that is unchanged.

You said that redshirts will improve slower. Is it less benifical to redshirt players now? Will their IQ's and ratings not grow as much now? (z0601 - Hall of Famer - 3:52 PM)

No change to redshirt ratings changes, only their IQ. Whether it's still beneficial to redshirt a player is really up to each coach.

I ask this just for fun and for the amusement of those who enjoyed the "tempo" discussion -is it minutes of playing time or possessions that affects IQ improvement? does tempo matter? (metsmax - Hall of Famer - 3:54 PM)

Well played good sir. Well played. It's based on minutes, not possessions. In theory, the total time playing offense/defense will be the same in a UNLV/Arkansas game (think Tarkanian v. Richardson) as it would be in a Princeton/Air Force game.

How early/eagar will coaches be to tell us this information during recruiting? (How many calls should it take to get all the information there is about IQ)? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:55 PM)

It's random - some times you may get everything you need in one call or scouting trip, sometimes it may take multiple.

Look at my recruiting summary page. Which of those players played a m2m/press in high school? (mccabemi - Hall of Famer - 3:56 PM)

You can not tell that from looking at your summary page or from the recruit's profile. You have to scout the kid or talk to his high school/JUCO coach.

Will 25 minutes of practice time remain the cap before diminishing returns set in on a particular O or D? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:57 PM)

Yes, that has not changed. Anything above that would probably be better spent elsewhere.

Assuming most kids have played a little of everything during their prep and juco careers, will recruits still enter with an F in some areas. (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:58 PM)

Yes, but that's misleading - it's not F in the academic sense, it's just relative to everyone else so it's not like they're bumbling idiots out there, they're just not as sharp as a D/C/B/A.

what happens for a kid who spends minutes playing a combo defense - press/zone - partial credit for IQ in each? 50-50 or something else? (metsmax - Hall of Famer - 3:59 PM)

Yes, it's split 50/50.

I read a post where you said that fastbreak might not be an option for offense in the future. If we have teams running the fastbreak should we switch our offense now? (Fregoe - Hall of Famer - 4:02 PM)

No, do not switch now. At some point in the future, the fastbreak offense will eventually go away and it will be a modifier for existing offenses, e.g. play Motion and [attempt to run after every defensive rebound] or [never run]. Once that change is made, we will most likely move all fastbreak team IQs into a default halfcourt offense and those that would like a different halfcourt offense will be able to have it changed via a support ticket.

As always, thanks for taking the time ask questions!