Losing never felt so good (Long-winded)

[daltontr]

Firstly, it’s funny how real life tends to get in the way of your hobbies, but I’m back playing DDS:CB after a very long hiatus. I just recently purchased 2019 and I have been slowly acclimating myself to the new layout, features, etc. I have mostly just been goofing around, but last night I was reminded of just how complex this game really can be.

Here is the scenario. Because I could not decide on which team to start with, I created my coach and then simulated an entire season. My plan was to pick from the available offers the following season. Since I had limited myself to an attribute point total that would not exceed “Amateur” level, the pickings were a little slim when it came time to get a head coaching job.

Ultimately, I settled on the job at DePaul. Being in the Big East, there was the bonus of the conference prestige, the coaching staff was respectable and at first glance, the roster looked solid. So solid, that I could not understand why they were struggling. It was later revealed to me that the team’s great weakness was on defense. Honestly, they were terrible defenders. I have never seen a collection of 2.5-3.5 starred players with such low defensive ratings. It was clearly going to be an uphill battle.

However, the school’s goals were quite minimal. Do not finish last and finish with a record above .500. Easy peasy…right?!?. Not so much. The defense really was nonexistent. It was like having six or seven James Hardin’s, less the ball handing and shooting skills. The preseason schedule was a little too tough, as I over estimated our ability and we struggled through the early part of the season. Then we struggled even more once conference play started. We did not finish last and we actually beat 18# ranked Georgetown, but we did fall a few games short of the .500 mark.

Not the end of the world, but it was at that point that I made a fatal mistake that would ultimately tank my career at DePaul. My mistake was not paying attention to the fact that my coaches were all on one-year deals. Since I had not renegotiated with them, they were free to take jobs elsewhere and they did. This left me with not much to choose from, so I simply hired the best recruiting coach, scouting coach and player development coach available. That was also a mistake, because the rest of their attributes were pitiful. So, I had a roster that was young, with not much depth due to five graduating seniors and a coaching staff that pretty much hamstrung me.

By the end of the year, we had only won three conference games, endured a late season nine-game losing skid due to injuries and ultimately finished the season with only ten wins. Thank goodness I scheduled a bunch on non-conference cream puffs or it might have been even worse. Part of the problem was that my coaching staff simply was not good enough. The team stagnated in their development offensively and a weak defense essentially got weaker.

In the following off season, my recruiting failures were the nail in the coffin. Three of my four targeted recruits, who I thought were securely in the fold, left for other schools at the last-minute. So, now my bench was even shorter and the one recruit that I did manage to sign, turned out to be fool’s gold and he was not much better than the walk-ons that were now beginning to fill my roster. Trust me, walk-ons are not going to help you win too many games, if at all.

I stuck it out for one more wretched, injury filled season and then handed in my resignation after we were quickly ousted from the conference tourney. Yes, it was so bad, that the previous year’s ten-win season would have been an improvement. Now, this scenario would never happen in real-life, because somebody would surely have knocked on my door and reminded me that my entire staff was about to exit stage left. However, what I found most interesting is that a poor team, combined with an amateur level coach and a weak staff is a recipe for disaster, just like it would be in real-life.

To be perfectly honest, even if the AD was gracious enough to grant me the necessary time to turn it around, I am not sure I could have. I think the hole that I had dug myself was simply too deep and although I was an abject failure, I found it rather refreshing. Too many times games are simply designed to “lead” a player to success, but DDS:CB clearly is not one of them and that’s why I enjoy it so much.

Success is not guaranteed, but when it does come, you know you have earned it.

[Gary Gorski]

Good read - thanks for sharing!

[Wayne23]

Great read! Remember that with assistants (as with the head coach) the Reputation rating is way more important than the ratings in the other categories.

Sounds like you just ran into the perfect storm. Hopefully next go round will be more positive. But the game is great no matter what happens.

[PointGuard]

Thanks dalton for the story of how you were DEstoyed at DEpaul...DEpressing for you, but DElicious in the retelling.

I remember when first playing DDSCB all too many years ago, I got FIRED from Arizona State. I've NEVER coached there again and to be honest would find it VERY difficult to ever root for them in ANY game in real life either.