The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

[spit_bubble]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

Also - to hop back and get separation, drive in and then pull back on the Left Analog stick while tapping the shoot button. The timing is tricky, but it's a good move when you can get it down.

Yes, I should have been more specific. The hop step isn't just for when driving to the hoop, and can be used to get separation on the jumper.

[spit_bubble]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

I edited in the clarification about the hop step, and also pointed out that you pick up your dribble on both of them.

[spit_bubble]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

BUILDING A POWERHOUSE (OR, WHY YOU NEED TO ATTEND THE ABL)

Recruiting in Legacy mode, while perhaps daunting at first, is actually pretty straightforward and quite possibly the best part of College Hoops 2K8. I've gone through a number of seasons simming the games just so I could recruit, and even when I play the games and my team makes it to the Big Dance there is a part of me that can't wait to get back to recruiting.

While there are no real big secrets to reveal about recruiting, I think a general overview could be useful.

First off, it is my personal opinion that the recruiting assistance option is pretty much worthless unless you don't want to recruit at all. If you leave it on your assistants will spend recruiting points when you don't want them to, and recruit players who fall well below the caliber of player you probably should be recruiting. It's almost like they are playing it safe, making sure you get a player, rather than taking any risks. So my advice is to go to your COACH'S OFFICE: COACH PROFILE and set the recruiting option to manual.

If you decide to leave recruiting up to your assistants, just remember that you still have to offer scholarships.

Generally speaking, recruiting works like this:

1. You gather information on players you need and/or want, then gauge and recruit these players based on their abilities and their interest in you.

2. As you have more contact with players you'll begin to learn their priorities, and if you're a good fit for them.

3. Add, drop, and rearrange the players on your target list based upon all the relevant criteria, making sure you go after players who match your needs and whose needs you match.

4. Offer a scholarship to players as you see fit.

**********

There are four phases of recruiting, they are:

1. The ABL

In this phase you gather information on the player's games you attend, even getting a first hand look if you decide to play the games rather than sim. The important thing to know about the ABL is that not all recruits play in this league.

Before the games begin you'll get a chance to scour the players in the ABL and check their interest level in your school. You'll also be able to set up, or make changes to, your target list. The target list can then be accessed from the main ABL menu by going to the panel on the right and scrolling over, making it somewhat easy to make sure you're attending games of players on your target list.

Gathering information on players in the ABL can give you a good head start on recruiting. Attending even just a few games can reveal a lot about a player, and help determine if they are the type of player you're looking for.

2. Early Recruiting

This phase starts on day one of the regular season. You're given six weeks to recruit players before the early signing period. An easy way to gather an instant bit of information about a player is to request a game tape. A game tape may not always give you the information you're looking for, but it reveals data about a player right away to help you determine if you should start going after that player that very week.

The early recruiting phase can be seen as an opportunity to take a few risks while recruiting, and go after players you might not normally go after. The reason being is that you'll still have the opportunity to recruit players during and after the season, with the hopes of signing them during the final signing period. Of course, you may just want to stick with trying to go for guys you know you can get, and making sure you get them. It's entirely up to you.

3. Regular Season

Recruiting during the season is vital. The early signing period has passed and you'll only get one more time after the season where you can sign players. Building player's interest in your program, and making sure you attract the players you're looking for before the regular season recruiting phase ends, is of utmost importance.

It is important to know that recruiting points not used during a week will still remain in your total recruiting points available. So if you don't use all your points during the week, they are not wasted. It is also important to make sure you remember to offer scholarships to players who you want to offer them to BEFORE this recruiting phase ends. Players will sign on the first day of the off season recruiting period, and if you don't have a scholarship offered you might lose them.

4. The Off Season

This phase is your final opportunity to fill the open slots on you team. It is definitely a time to follow your needs instead of your wants. One thing to make note of is that once other schools fill their own needs, their interest in players not signed no longer exists. So, often times there are players who had your school #5 or #6 on their list during the season, only to have you moved up to #2 or #3 because other programs no longer have interest in them. So during this phase it's good to check the entire pool of players after players start signing, to see if there might be a player worth recruiting who wasn't worth recruiting before.

[Jukeman]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

^^^Also don't waste scholarships on players you can prolly get to walk on to your school(players with no schollies offer can be lured to walk on if you continue to show intererest) reason is you may get a valuable player to transfer to your school and you can always save an extra scholly for the following year...

[spit_bubble]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

If anyone knows how to do reverse layups after driving along the baseline, please let me know.

Every now and then I'll manage to pull one off, pretty much by accident though.

The CPU on the other hand will do these crazy acrobatic highlight reel reverses on me every so often. I've seen maybe three different Harold Minor-esque animations for baseline reverse layups that the CPU does, all of which I've never done myself.

Most of the time the animation I get is the one where the defensive player is all over me, and usually gets called for the foul. When I try them I always push the right stick towards the basket, in other words to the other side of the rim, as that's the only way they seem to work.

[spit_bubble]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

Oh yeah, a small thing I just recently discovered myself... Though I'm guessing many of you know this, it was still pretty cool to see for the first time...

I got a steal on a player as he was on a fast break, ahead of me, and going up for the layup.

You really don't see too many plays with one player on the break with a clear path to the hoop...

On this play I was a step behind and just instinctively went for the steal... Lo and behold, as the player went up my guy went in and swiped it from him!

Not really that big of a thing, but it adds a little more flavor to the game.

[allan002001]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

If anyone knows how to do reverse layups after driving along the baseline, please let me know.

Every now and then I'll manage to pull one off, pretty much by accident though.

The CPU on the other hand will do these crazy acrobatic highlight reel reverses on me every so often. I've seen maybe three different Harold Minor-esque animations for baseline reverse layups that the CPU does, all of which I've never done myself.

Most of the time the animation I get is the one where the defensive player is all over me, and usually gets called for the foul. When I try them I always push the right stick towards the basket, in other words to the other side of the rim, as that's the only way they seem to work.

To do baseline reverse lay-ups, you need to push the Right Stick towards the baseline. For example, in Broadcast view, if the baseline is to your right, push the stick to your right and it will do a baseline reversal.

[ty5oke]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

Oh yeah, a small thing I just recently discovered myself... Though I'm guessing many of you know this, it was still pretty cool to see for the first time...

I got a steal on a player as he was on a fast break, ahead of me, and going up for the layup.

You really don't see too many plays with one player on the break with a clear path to the hoop...

On this play I was a step behind and just instinctively went for the steal... Lo and behold, as the player went up my guy went in and swiped it from him!

Not really that big of a thing, but it adds a little more flavor to the game.

Ya, I noticed this late last year and thought it was awesome till I realized it was really easy to do. I've abused it more then I should.

[warnerwlf98]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

To do baseline reverse lay-ups, you need to push the Right Stick towards the baseline. For example, in Broadcast view, if the baseline is to your right, push the stick to your right and it will do a baseline reversal.

Just one thing to add about the relative positioning of the shot stick. From doing the dunk drill many many times, it's best to think of the shot stick relative to the direction your player is moving (left stick) more than the direction of the shot stick relative to the basket. Based on this, you get:

Basic: shot stick in same direction of the left stick
Reverse: shot stick in opposite direction of the left stick
Flashy: shot stick to the left of the direction of the left stick
Power: shot stick to the right of the direction of the left stick

[R1zzo23]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

Just one thing to add about the relative positioning of the shot stick. From doing the dunk drill many many times, it's best to think of the shot stick relative to the direction your player is moving (left stick) more than the direction of the shot stick relative to the basket. Based on this, you get:

Basic: shot stick in same direction of the left stick
Reverse: shot stick in opposite direction of the left stick
Flashy: shot stick to the left of the direction of the left stick
Power: shot stick to the right of the direction of the left stick

I wish I did more practice with this because certain dunks/layups are better for certain situations depending on how the defense is positioned. If you can get that whole system down, you can definitely ensure an additional basket or two per game rather than getting blocked.

[moe_42]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

In dynasty mode, if you have a player you feel would be better suited playing a different position, try editing his position. An 85-overall center does not translate to an 85-overall point guard.

For example, I took over the USF program with a senior power forward who just wasn't producing. He was quick and a decent outside shooter, so I switched him to a 3. His overall score jumped five points. I may be imagining it, but his perimeter game seemed to improve as well.

[RAZRr1275]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

Nice stuff in here.

[spit_bubble]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

^^^Also don't waste scholarships on players you can prolly get to walk on to your school(players with no schollies offer can be lured to walk on if you continue to show intererest) reason is you may get a valuable player to transfer to your school and you can always save an extra scholly for the following year...

It seems quality walk ons will only come to your school if there is a chance to play. I had a senior at SG, had signed a recruit at SG, and also had three big men at 100% interest with no offers. Turns out the three big men went elsewhere because I had starters at C and PF, and yet I get a good 3 star SG walk on out of nowhere.

To do baseline reverse lay-ups, you need to push the Right Stick towards the baseline. For example, in Broadcast view, if the baseline is to your right, push the stick to your right and it will do a baseline reversal.

I'm convinced layup rating influences the type of reverse layup. My last game I saw another highlight reel reverse by the CPU, and I check that player's stats and his layup rating was 92.

He took off from the outside the blocks on one side, flew to the other side and flipped it high off the glass. The CPU's a cheeser.

In dynasty mode, if you have a player you feel would be better suited playing a different position, try editing his position. An 85-overall center does not translate to an 85-overall point guard.

For example, I took over the USF program with a senior power forward who just wasn't producing. He was quick and a decent outside shooter, so I switched him to a 3. His overall score jumped five points. I may be imagining it, but his perimeter game seemed to improve as well.

Nice! I was wondering about this... I have a SF at 6'9" with a lot of potential, but not much range, and was thinking of turning him into a PF.

[spit_bubble]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

Finally got the hang of the reverse layup. Really there are two kinds you can do, one where you're already in the key and you press the right stick towards the other side of the hoop, and another where you take off outside the key and press the right stick towards the baseline.

I was having trouble with the second type mainly because I wasn't doing it in the right situation. There has to be enough space underneath the rim and on the opposite side of the hoop. So it's a good move to do with a defender on your hip, or right behind you, just as it would be in real life.

[spit_bubble]

Re: The College Hoops 2K8 esoteric information thread (learn and discuss the arcane)

BUILDING A POWERHOUSE (OR, WHY YOU NEED TO ATTEND THE ABL)

I thought I should add:

It is not possible to invite a recruit for a campus visit if you have more than one game scheduled during the week. A recruit visit requires 35 points of time, and if you have two games that week your coaching staff only has 25 points of time.

Campus visits are a huge recruiting tool and help draw great interest from a recruit. So it is good to make sure you have certain weeks available for campus invites, especially before the early signing period. You can do this by checking the next season's schedule and making changes necessary, as explained in post #6 of this thread.