Re: How is YOUR Career Legacy going?!?!
I've been playing CH2k8 since release day, but I've had a Career Legacy going since 2010. I've played it off and on over the past few years, and this has remained my favorite game. Luckily, I've kept season recaps in threads in and around OS, and compiled this together, along with a synopsis of my current team.
Texas State
2007-08: 17-13, lost in first round. Struggled through my season, but PG Brandon Rush carried us through the conference tournament before we got steamrolled by #1 seed and eventual NC Duke in the first round of the NCAA's.
2008-09: 26-5, lost in Sweet 16. Landed a 5* JUCO C in the off-season, 7'1 260 lb Tyler Cain. IIRC he averaged around 25 pts/12 rebs per game, and he carried us to the Sweet 16 where we got demolished by #1 seed Villanova by 40.
Mark Few took a job at Maryland which meant that the Gonzaga job came open, and they tabbed me for it.
Gonzaga
2009-10: 32-3, Final Four. Had a stacked roster led by SF Austin Daye. We had a great season, and Daye carried us through the NCAA's. He averaged 28 points per game, including 32 of our 54 in our Final Four loss to 2x defending NC Duke.
2010-11: 32-1, Sweet 16. The most awesome yet disappointing season of my entire career. We were stacked, returning all 5 starters and adding in the nation's #1 PG with ridiculous quicks and handles. Went undefeated up until the NCAA's, where #4 seed Kansas downed us 82-77 behind superior 3 point shooting. The worst loss of my career by far. This was a NC caliber team.
2011-12: 25-9, First round. Had to completely rebuild, but I had the nation's #3 recruiting class coming in so things weren't too bad. With a lot of freshman came growing pains, but through sheer talent alone we won the conference regular season and tournament titles. Made it to the tourney as a #12 seed, and lost in the 1st round to #5 seed Miami by 10.
Jim Calhoun retired at this point, leaving the UCONN job vacant, and they chose me to take his place...
Connecticut
2012-13: 23-10, lost in the second round. Had no backcourt whatsoever, so this was a tough season to grind out.
2013-14: 34-4, National Champions. Brought in 3 5* G's, all of which made major contributions right off the bat. Had a dominant frontcourt coming back and beat fellow Big East school Louisville in the NCAA title game.
2014-15: 33-5, Elite Eight. Had some remnants of the dominant front court left, and had a great season as my backcourt played outstanding.
2015-16: 38-2, National Champions. Just an overall dominant team. First one consisting of all my guys, and they were just unreal. Great backcourt, great frontcourt, on a whole 'nother level than most teams. Won the NC 108-66 over Washington State.
2016-17: 39-1, National Champions. Even better than last year's squad, and that's saying something. I'm pretty sure the lone game we lost was the only time we didn't win by double digits all year. This is the best team I've fielded to date in any basketball game.
2017-18: 26-9, Sweet 16. A rebuilding year for us with a couple of 4 year starters leaving the squad, but we still made a nice run in the NCAA's thanks to our dominating PF whose name escapes me.
2018-19: 29-8, Final Four. We had a SF named Connor (last name was something Jewish I think) who was just incredible. Won all of the major NPOTY honors and carried us to the Final Four on his back. We got beat by a better team in that game though, because we didn't have much offense outside of Connor.
At this point, Thad Matta finally got fired and I took over an Ohio State team coming off a 3-27 season and one that hadn't made the tourney in almost 8 years.
Ohio State
2019-20: 17-14, missed NCAA's. With how poor of a roster I had, I was forced to lean on my lone good player, my C. Pretty sure he won conference POTY for his efforts.
2020-21: 25-11, second round. I pulled in a pretty decent recruiting class that made an immediate impact, taking this team back to the tourney for the first time in a decade.
2021-22: 29-8 Elite Eight. I landed a stud 5* SF and 5* SG who both came in and started immediately. They both made immediate impacts, and I had a great team, but unfortunately we got beat by Florida 68-62 in the elite Eight when we just couldn't keep up with them from behind the arc.
2022-23: 35-4, National Champions. Everything came together this year. With an entire lineup full of former 5*'s, we had a great year, capped off with a 20 point win in the national championship game.
2023-24: 27-0, currently in progress.
Coaching Career:
Texas State: 43-18
Gonzaga: 89-13
Connecticut: 222-39
Ohio State: 133-37
Total: 487-107
National Championships: 4 (2014, 2016, 2017, 2023)
Regular Season Championships: 9
Conference Tourney Championships: 10
NCAA Tournaments: 15
Sweet 16's: 11
Final 4's: 6
Pre-season #1: 1
20-win seasons: 14
Conference COY: 8
National COY: 4
All-Conference Players: 27
All-American Players: 8
National POY's: 2
Pro Draftees: 20
My current squad is absolutely incredible. We're at 27-0 (15-0) thus far, and have somehow survived every game. We've had a few close calls as of late (most notably 59-57 against Michigan State), but they somehow always come through in the end to pull out a great win. For instance, after trailing 40-32 to kick off the 2nd half against #2 ranked Minnesota, we finished the game on a 49-20 run to win 81-60.
2023-24 Ohio State Buckeyes: 27-0 (15-0)
Starting 5:
PG Gerry Kent - 6'0 180lbs SR: A dead-eye shooter and a reliable point man. He's solid defensively. He's a four year starter and very good at finishing at the rim for his size.
SG Jared Palmer - 6'8 210lbs JR: An All-American. Averages 17 pts and 6 boards per game, and is the school's all-time leader in 3PT FG's made. Clutch.
SF Aly Norman - 6'7 243lbs SR: He doesn't do one thing outstandingly, but does a lot of things very well. Solid all-around player who will get the job done.
SF/PF J.B. Gordon - 6'9 228lbs Jr: All-American and NPOY candidate. Averages 22 pts per game and is the leader of this squad. Outstanding off the pick and roll and great at finishing in traffic. Deadly from 3PT range and clutch as ever. Dropped 50 points in the NCG last year. Very reminiscent of Kevin Durant.
C Brennan Brittian - 7'0 245lbs Jr: Struggles a bit with foul trouble and his offensive game could use some refinement, but he's an anchor in the middle as a defender.
Bench:
PG Torin Hailey - 6'1 204lbs Jr: A big-time spark plug off the bench. Lockdown defender and reeks havoc when he is on the floor. Also prone to scoring outbursts at random. Will start at PG next year, most likely.
SG Ryan Dalghren - 6'4 215lbs Sr: Was in my first recruiting class, started as a freshman, and took a step back over the past several years. Kind of a 7th man role, but has always filled it well and is a dead-eye shooter off the bench.
PF Jitim Chalmers - 6'11 243lbs So: Interior presence off the bench. Does very well scoring in close, and his length makes him a constant shot-blocking presence.
C Evan Baker - 7'3 279lbs rFr: Sleeper recruit who paid off with incredible potential. Outstanding size and surprisingly nimble. Needs more skill refinement but his size allows him to haul in rebounds and block shots with surprising results.
I've been playing CH2k8 since release day, but I've had a Career Legacy going since 2010. I've played it off and on over the past few years, and this has remained my favorite game. Luckily, I've kept season recaps in threads in and around OS, and compiled this together, along with a synopsis of my current team.
Texas State
2007-08: 17-13, lost in first round. Struggled through my season, but PG Brandon Rush carried us through the conference tournament before we got steamrolled by #1 seed and eventual NC Duke in the first round of the NCAA's.
2008-09: 26-5, lost in Sweet 16. Landed a 5* JUCO C in the off-season, 7'1 260 lb Tyler Cain. IIRC he averaged around 25 pts/12 rebs per game, and he carried us to the Sweet 16 where we got demolished by #1 seed Villanova by 40.
Mark Few took a job at Maryland which meant that the Gonzaga job came open, and they tabbed me for it.
Gonzaga
2009-10: 32-3, Final Four. Had a stacked roster led by SF Austin Daye. We had a great season, and Daye carried us through the NCAA's. He averaged 28 points per game, including 32 of our 54 in our Final Four loss to 2x defending NC Duke.
2010-11: 32-1, Sweet 16. The most awesome yet disappointing season of my entire career. We were stacked, returning all 5 starters and adding in the nation's #1 PG with ridiculous quicks and handles. Went undefeated up until the NCAA's, where #4 seed Kansas downed us 82-77 behind superior 3 point shooting. The worst loss of my career by far. This was a NC caliber team.
2011-12: 25-9, First round. Had to completely rebuild, but I had the nation's #3 recruiting class coming in so things weren't too bad. With a lot of freshman came growing pains, but through sheer talent alone we won the conference regular season and tournament titles. Made it to the tourney as a #12 seed, and lost in the 1st round to #5 seed Miami by 10.
Jim Calhoun retired at this point, leaving the UCONN job vacant, and they chose me to take his place...
Connecticut
2012-13: 23-10, lost in the second round. Had no backcourt whatsoever, so this was a tough season to grind out.
2013-14: 34-4, National Champions. Brought in 3 5* G's, all of which made major contributions right off the bat. Had a dominant frontcourt coming back and beat fellow Big East school Louisville in the NCAA title game.
2014-15: 33-5, Elite Eight. Had some remnants of the dominant front court left, and had a great season as my backcourt played outstanding.
2015-16: 38-2, National Champions. Just an overall dominant team. First one consisting of all my guys, and they were just unreal. Great backcourt, great frontcourt, on a whole 'nother level than most teams. Won the NC 108-66 over Washington State.
2016-17: 39-1, National Champions. Even better than last year's squad, and that's saying something. I'm pretty sure the lone game we lost was the only time we didn't win by double digits all year. This is the best team I've fielded to date in any basketball game.
2017-18: 26-9, Sweet 16. A rebuilding year for us with a couple of 4 year starters leaving the squad, but we still made a nice run in the NCAA's thanks to our dominating PF whose name escapes me.
2018-19: 29-8, Final Four. We had a SF named Connor (last name was something Jewish I think) who was just incredible. Won all of the major NPOTY honors and carried us to the Final Four on his back. We got beat by a better team in that game though, because we didn't have much offense outside of Connor.
At this point, Thad Matta finally got fired and I took over an Ohio State team coming off a 3-27 season and one that hadn't made the tourney in almost 8 years.
Ohio State
2019-20: 17-14, missed NCAA's. With how poor of a roster I had, I was forced to lean on my lone good player, my C. Pretty sure he won conference POTY for his efforts.
2020-21: 25-11, second round. I pulled in a pretty decent recruiting class that made an immediate impact, taking this team back to the tourney for the first time in a decade.
2021-22: 29-8 Elite Eight. I landed a stud 5* SF and 5* SG who both came in and started immediately. They both made immediate impacts, and I had a great team, but unfortunately we got beat by Florida 68-62 in the elite Eight when we just couldn't keep up with them from behind the arc.
2022-23: 35-4, National Champions. Everything came together this year. With an entire lineup full of former 5*'s, we had a great year, capped off with a 20 point win in the national championship game.
2023-24: 27-0, currently in progress.
Coaching Career:
Texas State: 43-18
Gonzaga: 89-13
Connecticut: 222-39
Ohio State: 133-37
Total: 487-107
National Championships: 4 (2014, 2016, 2017, 2023)
Regular Season Championships: 9
Conference Tourney Championships: 10
NCAA Tournaments: 15
Sweet 16's: 11
Final 4's: 6
Pre-season #1: 1
20-win seasons: 14
Conference COY: 8
National COY: 4
All-Conference Players: 27
All-American Players: 8
National POY's: 2
Pro Draftees: 20
My current squad is absolutely incredible. We're at 27-0 (15-0) thus far, and have somehow survived every game. We've had a few close calls as of late (most notably 59-57 against Michigan State), but they somehow always come through in the end to pull out a great win. For instance, after trailing 40-32 to kick off the 2nd half against #2 ranked Minnesota, we finished the game on a 49-20 run to win 81-60.
2023-24 Ohio State Buckeyes: 27-0 (15-0)
Starting 5:
PG Gerry Kent - 6'0 180lbs SR: A dead-eye shooter and a reliable point man. He's solid defensively. He's a four year starter and very good at finishing at the rim for his size.
SG Jared Palmer - 6'8 210lbs JR: An All-American. Averages 17 pts and 6 boards per game, and is the school's all-time leader in 3PT FG's made. Clutch.
SF Aly Norman - 6'7 243lbs SR: He doesn't do one thing outstandingly, but does a lot of things very well. Solid all-around player who will get the job done.
SF/PF J.B. Gordon - 6'9 228lbs Jr: All-American and NPOY candidate. Averages 22 pts per game and is the leader of this squad. Outstanding off the pick and roll and great at finishing in traffic. Deadly from 3PT range and clutch as ever. Dropped 50 points in the NCG last year. Very reminiscent of Kevin Durant.
C Brennan Brittian - 7'0 245lbs Jr: Struggles a bit with foul trouble and his offensive game could use some refinement, but he's an anchor in the middle as a defender.
Bench:
PG Torin Hailey - 6'1 204lbs Jr: A big-time spark plug off the bench. Lockdown defender and reeks havoc when he is on the floor. Also prone to scoring outbursts at random. Will start at PG next year, most likely.
SG Ryan Dalghren - 6'4 215lbs Sr: Was in my first recruiting class, started as a freshman, and took a step back over the past several years. Kind of a 7th man role, but has always filled it well and is a dead-eye shooter off the bench.
PF Jitim Chalmers - 6'11 243lbs So: Interior presence off the bench. Does very well scoring in close, and his length makes him a constant shot-blocking presence.
C Evan Baker - 7'3 279lbs rFr: Sleeper recruit who paid off with incredible potential. Outstanding size and surprisingly nimble. Needs more skill refinement but his size allows him to haul in rebounds and block shots with surprising results.
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