Developer Chat

Is there still going to be a rating for work ethic or will potential be taking its place? (redsoxrootr1 - Hall of Famer - 2:12 PM)

Yes, work ethic will still exist. Potential and work ethic will work together, i.e. potential gives you an idea on how far a player can go while work ethic determines how fast they can get there. For example, a player with lots of potential in free throw shooting but a low work ethic, may never realize his potential or a player with low potential but a high work ethic, may max out his freshman year.

When you purchase a scouting service, does it give you the info on all divisions, the division you are in or do you have the ability to choose what division you want? (naufan - All-Star - 2:13 PM)

Scouting services provide coverage for all recruits within a given state, so when you subscribe to the recruiting service for New York, you'll get information on all recruits in that state even though you may be coaching at DIII.

How are you going to limit "collusion" with this new info? Not just collusion amongst friends/conference mates, but collusion amongst the same person with different IDs in a world. It seems those coaches would have a huge advantage in splitting the scouting service costs amongst their teams and then getting ALL the information t benefit all the teams. While I initially love the changes, this is a huge issue that needs to be addressed. thanks (cmthieme - Hall of Famer - 2:19 PM)

Actually, it's not difficult - in addition to the normal self-policing within HD, we can run reports to determine recruits which are being looked at for scouting service information but are not being recruited, e.g. a DIII school looking at a top 20 ranked PG is going to raise a flag. If we do find collusion, all schools involved will be punished.

1. Let's say all things being equal (for example: Temple and La Salle looking at the same PG), what would be the disadvantages to the Temple coach if he does not use the recruiting service but the La Salle coach does? 2. I have a feeling that not using the recruit service might be the better option because it means more monies can be spent on actual recruiting of players. Visits, phone calls, etc.. are direct interactions with kids. Using a recruiting service is not. Am I correct here ? (jaisonline - Hall of Famer - 2:34 PM)

There is no disadvantage to Temple in terms of recruiting benefit by not using a scouting service. It carries no weight with the recruit whether you do or don't. You are correct in that not using a scouting service would leave more monies available for direct contact. In addition, you'll be able to learn about a player's potential through traditional recruiting. That said, using a scouting service could end up saving a coach money - by knowing a player's proximity preference and notes on potential, coaches can do a better job of determining which recruits to target without spending much, if any, additional recruiting dollars. In addition, the scouting service will alert you to major changes in who a recruit is considering which could also save significant dollars.

First off- great changes. Second, in real life, recruits can only make five campus visits- and much of the "competition" is to get one of those campus visits. Is there any inclination to go to a system that would be more like that scenario? It seems like with more emphasis placed on scouting now we might be a step closer to that "realism." (mccabemi - Hall of Famer - 2:36 PM)

At this time, no, recruits will still be able to make unlimited campus visits.

Why can't a lot of this stuff just be folded into the scouting trip? That could have been made a more valuable option very easily. (hydrospeed - Hall of Famer - 2:37 PM)

It will be - you'll be able to learn the same information through the exisiting recruiting options.

Does potential also impact IQ? IE will the scouting service tell us that player x is a brilliant student of the game, and therefore will learn the new sets fast? Or is IQ left out of potential? (zhawks - Hall of Famer - 2:40 PM)

No, that's actually already part of the game (IQs increase at varying rates currently based on a players intelligence, work ethic, etc.). Potential will play the same role for the physical skills.

am I right that the scouting notes tab that is revealed thru recruiting services is exactly the same as viewed by any coach who subcribes for the relevant area? not different versions of the same reports, but exzactly the same? (fd343ny - Hall of Famer - 2:41 PM)

That is correct - any coach subscribing to the scouting service will see the same information for a particular recruit.

How will you be able to find out the potential of a Transfer player? (zhawks - Hall of Famer - 2:49 PM)

Scouting services don't cover transfers. That information can only be determined via either traditional recruiting tactics or via sitemailing his old coach.

Will the potential levels apply only to new recruits or will they also affect players currently on your roster? (fflbeer - Hall of Famer - 2:53 PM)

Potential will only be for newly generated recruits. Exisiting players will progress as normal.

Will scouting services be available for foreign players (not counting California, but say Russia and Korea)? (spit_ballerz - Hall of Famer - 2:56 PM)

No, at least not at this time. Only the 50 states.

Historically ATH/SPD/DE/FT have been very hard to improve more then a handful of points in any given season, with the addition of potential is it going to be possible to see these ratings improve more then what we've seen in the past? (zhawks - Hall of Famer - 3:15 PM)

The addition of potential will have a fairly significant impact on how some of these ratings change - especially ratings which have been historically nearly impossible to move (e.g. a ball handling of 3 was extremely difficult to increase).

You made mention of "discounts" being possible for scouting certain regions and not just states. How much are we talking about, and will we now be able to keep all of our left over money from season to season, or still only 25%? (elmossle - Hall of Famer - 3:07 PM)

Yes, something in the neighborhood of 2-4 states, 10% off, 5-7, 15%, more than 7, 20% off - again, not finalized yet but the final discounts will be close. The carryover will remain at 25%.

Is the information on potential going to be qualitative or quantitative? In other words will the scouting service tell us exact max levels per attribute, max ranges, or just indications? Thanks (hofhof - Hall of Famer - 3:12 PM)

You will not see things like "maximum rebounding=85", you will see things like "I think he has all the attributes to be a phenomenal rebounder, great instinct for the ball, with some work on fundamentals he should be great."

when will these changes be implemented? (hofhof - Hall of Famer - 3:13 PM)

We don't have a release date scheduled yet - my guess would be about 6 weeks.

Will all states be eligible to be part of some discounted package? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:14 PM)

Yes, instead of doing a regional discount, e.g. "Great Lakes Region", the coach can pick and choose the states he wants coverage on. The discount is based then on the total number of states.

When you said to hyrdospeed that "you'll will learn the same information through the existing recruiting options", does that mean in the revised world, a scouting trip will only tell you what it always has or that it the scouting trips will now also tell you this new information that you would find out from using a scouting service? (wisefella99 - Hall of Famer - 3:17 PM)

When these changes are released, that will include changes to existing feedback responses to cover potential and proximity preferences. So you'll start to get pieces of information from your assistant coach that you were not getting before.

Are we going to receive extra money to help pay for the recruiting services? Are teams that are in high recruit states going to get more money then schools in less recruit states? (elmossle - Hall of Famer - 3:18 PM)

Yes, you will receive additional money to your recruiting budget - how much has not been determined yet. All schools within a division will receive the same amount. I'm not sure whether that amount will vary by division or not.

Can a low potential skill be overcome with enough practice? e.g. I've got a C with a 85 in rebounding, and his potential says he's an 85 tops. However he has nothing else to really work on, can I pour rebounding practice minutes into him and get him up into the mid 90s, or will he forever be topped out in the mid 80s? (taz21 - Hall of Famer - 3:19 PM)

No, by definition a player's potential is their maximum.

"in addition to the normal self-policing within HD, we can run reports to determine recruits which are being looked at for scouting service information but are not being recruited" - seems this requires manual intervention / analysis after reports are run. do you really have the time to police abusers ? (jaisonline - Hall of Famer - 3:21 PM)

It will only take a few seconds and if we do find issues, it will only take a few seconds to have Nyles Grande bring the pain to both programs.

How much of an advantage will favorite school give you... I.E. a home visit ahead, a campus visit ahead or something along those lines (redsoxrootr1 - Hall of Famer - 3:23 PM)

It will be very minor, certainly nothing that can't be overcome rather easily.

Earlier you said something about single digit ratings being able to see large improvements. How has adding potential made these rating possible to grow now? (elmossle - Hall of Famer - 3:25 PM)

How skills improve will be changing with the addition of potential so now it will be possible to see low skills show significant improvement over 4 years based on the player's potential, work ethic, practice time and playing time.

In order to receive a multi-state discount do the states need to be in the same region? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:30 PM)

No, it's only based on the number of states.

Is this a bit of overkill, especially for D3? This same information could already be given in the recruits profile, a less complicated addition. Why not make HD more user friendly instead of more time consuming? And what does it matter if a D3 recruit from Idaho likea particular D1 school? (jcm229 - All-Star - 3:35 PM)

This information will be given on the recruit's profile. There will be an additional tab for 'scouting notes'. Favorite school won't have any impact for non-DI schools, i.e. it doesn't matter what the favorite school of a DIII player is.

After you purchase the scouting service, is a coach able to view the info instantly, or will he have to wait until the next cycle? (naufan - All-Star - 3:35 PM)

It will be available instantly.

Will the information from scouting an ineligible player return his tendancy to go JUCO vs. coming to your school? (mlatsko1 - Hall of Famer - 3:37 PM)

No, that will still be based on how much you go after the kid...

1) Will it be legal for coaches to share scouting information (whether correct or purposely incorrect)? 2) Will the WIS ranking system now take into consideration potential. If not, will the scouting service have its own set of rankings? (lostmyth2 - Hall of Famer - 3:42 PM)

No, it will not be "fair" for coaches to share scouting service information. Rankings are still going to be based on what the players look like today, e.g. you're not going to see the diamond in the rough with great potential who is initially targeted at DIII being ranked in the top 200 SGs because of his potential.

Is a kid's favorite school tied to their desire to play further away from home? Approx. what % of players will have a preference to play local and away from home? How many are not going to have a geographic preference where they play? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:44 PM)

Actually the other way around - their desire to play close to home, neutral or away from home will impact their selection of a favorite school. Currently we're targeting roughly 15% with a desire to stay home, 15% with a desire to get away from home and 70% who are open to playing anywhere.

Does this mean that players currently on our roster when the change is made will be assessed potentials? (pink1 - Hall of Famer - 3:45 PM)

No, nothing will change with your current players.

With extra money for scouting, do we have the option of not using it and spend that money talking to recruits instead, or will we lose that money if we don't use the service? (z0601 - Hall of Famer - 3:46 PM)

It will be added to your recruiting budget - you can use it in any way you'd like.

I'm sure some knucklehead has already beaten me to the punch on this Q, so now there are two knuckleheads. Will some areas have a disproportionate number of recruits "who want to get away" Proximity Preference (ala Maine, Alaska, New Jersey)? (spit_ballerz - Hall of Famer - 3:47 PM)

No, the recruits that want to get away/stay home will not be based on their hometown - just randomly selected.

When you say significant improvement, what range are you talking about? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:48 PM)

There is no range - it's based on the player's potential. If the kid is a poor shooter but has the potential to be great, that's the range - whether he can reach that or not will be based on his work ethic, playing time and practice time.

Other than sims (or efforts from a previous season), will recruits start out considering their favorite school? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:49 PM)

No, not without any contact from the school first.

Sorry I'm a bit confused .... if I recruit a kid who is currently a 45 PER with average potential and a kid who is 85 PER with average potential are you saying they might end up with the same PER skills? (combalt - Hall of Famer - 3:56 PM)

The recruit who is an 85 PER will most likely give you a note such as "he's a great outside shooter, probably don't need to do much there" whereas the 45 PER may give you a response such as "he's got a fundamental flaw in his outside shot that, if fixed, could make him a really great shooter" -OR- "he just doesn't look comfortable from the outside. Not smooth. Poor fundamentals. Very limited upside."

Will this change impact sim recruiting? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:57 PM)

No.

Will we be told how much it will cost us from our budget to scout a certain state or group of states prior to actually approving such actions like we currently have do in recruiting? (z0601 - Hall of Famer - 3:57 PM)

Yes, you'll be able to pick and choose the states you want coverage on and confirm before monies are removed from your budget. Once you hire the scouting service, that can not be undone though.

Related to mlatsko's, assuming the same effort, if an ineligible kid signs at his "favorite" school, will he have any more of a chance to enroll compared to if he was signed by another school? Or is "favorite" school taken completely out of the equation once he signs? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:58 PM)

Yes, a player's favorite school will impact that decision.

How indepth will the Scouting Service go in regards to giving you info on other schools battles? (zhawks - Hall of Famer - 4:03 PM)

You'll only receive information/updates on recruits that you are involved with, e.g. "word on the street is that Duke is making a really big push for Glenn Quagmire"

Will you allow users to get an early look at the recruiting service? either having a Beta test or show screen shots? (jaisonline - Hall of Famer - 4:04 PM)

Yes, we'll be doing a beta test with users before the final release.

Are you going to only be able to scout your level (i.e division 3 can only scout D3 players)? If so, would it be beneficial to wait for drop downs to scout? (redsoxrootr1 - Hall of Famer - 4:06 PM)

No, you can look at any player in any division in any state that you have purchased scouting coverage for.

regarding a low rated skill (e.g. your ball handling rating of 3). Will we be required to work on these skills (or any other skill) to improve them, or will playing games and potential be enough to raise a low skilled passer w/ high potential? (taz21 - Hall of Famer - 4:06 PM)

You still have to practice.

Are we going to be able to hire the scouting services during the regular season, or just during recruiting? (kyle10885 - Hall of Famer - 3:02 PM)

You can hire the Future Stars Scouting Service at any time during the recruiting period (keep in mind that costs will decrease as the recruiting period progresses since the costs are based on *unsigned* recruits per state). You can also hire the Future Stars Scouting Service AFTER the recruiting period concludes and the new recruits are available IF you have recruiting funds left over which means that you have filled all of your scholarships.

Can you give us some idea how much in recuriting dollars this new feature will cost? Say in $ per recurit? Also will this service be based on the recurits distance from the college or by state? (cyoress1 - Hall of Famer - 3:11 PM)

The cost for the scouting service varies based on the number of unsigned recruits in that state. The cost is $6.50 per recruit with a minimum cost of $200 per state. Also, there are discounts available - purchase coverage on between 2-4 states and save 10% off your total, 5-7 states, 15% and more than 7 save 20%.

You mentioned an adjustment to budgets. What will it be? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:12 PM)

DIII schools will receive an extra $250, DII $500 and DI $1,500.

If I understand correctly, does this mean that low potential players will develop slower than the current slow developers and high potential players will develop faster than the current high potential players, or we just be able to identify them now? (jetsons - Hall of Famer - 3:15 PM)

No, the rate of improvement will be based on playing time, practice time, work ethic and how near/far a player is to reaching their potential. The further a player is from their potential, the larger the initial gains will be and vice versa.

Once the season starts, even if you didn't employ the scouting service, will you have access to your own players' information? Under the theory that, by looking at the player practice everyday, you should be able to make those assessments on his potential on your own.. It wouldn't be huge, but it would be nice. You may even consider cutting a player if he has horrible potential in everything that you didn't realize when recruiting him or something. (kaleidosky - Pro - 3:18 PM)

No, but you will receive an email from your assistant coach touching on areas of high and low upside for all of your players after exhibition games have begun. In addition, you'll receive notes from your assistant coach throughout the season to help guide your practice planning, e.g. "Coach, seriously, I just don't see Stewey Griffin getting any better at free throw shooting, you may want to think about having him focus on something else like ball handling."

You write that the scouting service is based on all recruits in a given state. If a state has one DI school, but many DII and DIII schools, there would be tons more recruits generated for DII/DIII than DI in that area. How will the cost of that service work for the DI school? Compare that to a state that has multiple DI schools, but few DII/DIII schools. Both states may "produce" the same number of recruits, but the cost per recruit would be much different for "peer group" schools. (Rails - Hall of Famer - 3:21 PM)

That's correct - but you have to keep in mind that recruits are classified based on where they are today - with the addition of potential there may be players that fit your program/style better but are currently targeted for a lower division.

Will a scouting service give us the potential for all of a players skills (ie could be a great passer/rebounder but will never be much when it somes to athleticism) or will we have to do multiple scouting services scouting visits to find their potential in each skill. (taz21 - Hall of Famer - 3:22 PM)

Yes, the scouting service will give you a complete report on all skills including free throw shooting.

As always, thanks for taking the time to post your questions!