Coaches Section

UBA COACHING

10.0 Coaching in the UBA

There are 7 coaching parameters for each player in a UBA lineup (OI, DI, RI, MIN, PRI, BLW and FT) and 4 coaching parameters for the entire team (PS, Winning Blowout, Losing Blowout, and Foul Trouble Ratio). This section will explain what each coaching parameter controls, and explain how to maximize each to get the best coaching parameters out of your lineup.

10.1 MIN (Minutes to Play)

The MIN parameter tells the program how many minutes you want a particular player to play. You can choose to play a player for as many minutes as you like, however, once he plays over his actual average minutes per game, he will tire as a function of:

(Average Minutes per Game)/(Minutes Played in Current Game)

Thus, a player that averages 35 minutes per game tires less if he plays for 40 minutes than a player that averages 15 minutes a game does if he plays 20 minutes. (One exception: All players, regardless of actual average minutes per game can play at least 15 minutes without tiring. For example, a reserve that averaged only 7 minutes per game can play 15 minutes without tiring, however, after 15 minutes he will tire at a rate of 15/(Minutes Played in Current Game).

Tired players suffer from poorer FG%, FT%, 3P%, Rebounds, Steals, Assists, and Blocks.

The number of minutes you choose to play each player is called Minutes to Play (MIN). This is an extremely important part of the game. Be sure that when you create new teams you choose as many starting players as possible. Otherwise, you may find that your team runs out of gas at the end of the game.

You don't need to worry about making sure everyone's Minutes to Play add up to 240 total minutes. This will be taken care of with the Priority strategy discussed in the next section. Just assign how many minutes you wish each player to play depending on how productive you think they will be. If you assign less than 240 total minutes to your team, the computer will take care of it by equally spreading around the other minutes. Also, when a player fouls out, the playing time of other players will be affected, but this is taken care of automatically during the game.

Also remember, each game may be different, since not all players will be available for every game.

Computer coached teams will automatically assign the average minutes per game for (MIN) for each player.

10.2 PRI (Priority)

Each player has a PRI (Priority) setting for all 5 positions on the court. The PRI setting tells the program who should play which position, and which players should get their minutes (MIN) in front of the other players. The PS (Priority Sensitivity) settings are also directly related to the PRI settings, and are explained later.

Which positions a player can naturally play is an important part of assigning PRI numbers to each player. For example, Hakeem Olajuwon is a natural Center. Looking at the "showdef" file, his position assignment numbers are:

PF SG SF PF C

-7 -5 -3 -1 0

As you can see, he receives no penalty for playing Center, and only a minor -1 penalty for playing Power Forward. However, he would receive a huge -7 penalty for playing the Point Guard position. Players are penalized for playing out of position by adding to his team's turnover rate, and giving the opponent he is defending a bonus on their FG%.

Because of these penalties, it is important to give each player the correct PRI numbers for each position.

When determining which players will play each position, the program uses the following logic:

First, the program determines which position needs to be filled first, based on how many players are available that can play that position. Once it decides which position is the most urgent to fill, it then picks a player based on the following algorithm:

The program searches for the player with the most minutes needed to fulfill their MIN setting with a PRI (priority) of less than 20 (usually players with 0 penalty at that position). If no players fit this profile then the same search is expanded to include all players with a priority of less than 40 (usually players with a -1 penalty at that position).

If no players are found to fit this profile, then the search is again expanded to include all players with a priority of less than 40 that have played less than 5 minutes OVER their MIN setting -- since a slightly tired 0 or -1 player is usually better than a -3 or worse player at that position.

Next, if still no players qualify, the program searches for all players needing to fulfill their MIN parameter, with a PRI of less than 60 at that position (usually -3 players).

If still no players qualify, the search is expanded to include players needing to fulfill their MIN parameter, with a PRI of less than 80 (usually -5 players).

After this, the position is up for grabs to include all players (even -7 players).

This process is repeated until all 5 position have been filled.

The object is to assign each player a priority number in each position that clarifies how important it is that they play that position, with the lower priority numbers given preference over the higher numbers.

Take the following example. Below are the MIN and PRI numbers for 5 players:

PRI Settings

Player MIN PG SG SF PF C

Anfernee Hardaway 38 3 1 5 28 49

John Stockton 40 1 24 44 64 84

Hakeem Olajuwon 37 87 67 43 22 1

Cliff Robinson 42 45 23 4 1 2

Glen Rice 39 25 2 1 24 46

Anferenee Hardaway gets #1 preference for the Shooting Guard position, #2 preference behind John Stockton for Point Guard, and #3 preference behind Glen Rice and Cliff Robinson for Small Forward.

Based on the PS setting for each position (further explained later), and the MIN setting for each player, the program determines if each player is in danger of not meeting their MIN setting. So, if Anfernee Hardaway appears to have plenty of playing time already, and is in no danger of not meeting his MIN setting, the program may pass him up for Shooting Guard and choose Glen Rice instead. However, the program would never select John Stockton or Cliff Robinson for Shooting Guard, unless both Hardaway and Rice are well on their way to getting their MIN settings fulfilled.

Using the Same example, Cliff Robinson is the only player completely qualified for the Power Forward position. When a substitute is necessary (when Robinson has used up all his minutes), then the program will choose first from Hakeem Olajuwon, Glen Rice, and Anfernee Hardaway, in that order (since they all are on the same level -- less than 40, but above 20).

In short, the PRI setting is used to protect the minutes of players you want playing the most.

This does not mean that all players with lower priority will play before those of higher priority, what it means is that the program will make sure that the lower priority players get 1st consideration when time is running out, and they still have not met their MIN goal.

You can assign any number you want to all 5 PRI settings, however, 1 is the best PRI a player can have. You can also assign a PRI setting of less than 20, even if a player does not naturally play that position, but he will still be penalized appropriately.

For computer coached teams, each player is assigned a PRI of 1, 21, 41, 61, or 81 in each position, depending on their position assignment penalties.

See Priority Sensitivity (PS) below for a further explanation on the Priority system.

10.3 Priority Sensitivity (PS)

Priority Sensitivity (PS) is a parameter you assign for each position to the entire team (rather than each individual player). It controls the way the team utilizes the MIN and PRI parameters of all players when rotating the lineup to try and fulfill each player's MIN parameter. In order to fully understand PS, you first need to know how the program operates the priority system:

When the computer sees that a player has the same amount of minutes the coach wants him to play (MIN) as there is time on the clock:

(DESIRED MINUTES LEFT)/(CLOCK) <= 1.0

NOTE: Desired Minutes Left = (MIN - Minutes Already Played)

Then the priority system kicks in -- where such a player can kick another player with a higher priority number out of the lineup. However, by adjusting the number that priority kicks in at (in the above example it is 1.0) the coach can use several strategies.

The number that priority kicks in at is called Priority Sensitivity (PS). This can be a number between .01 and 1.0. The following strategies can be used by adjusting the PS accordingly:

With a PS of 1.0, all players are treated the same until the end of the game, where usually only the 5 players with the best priority will be guaranteed their playing time.

With a PS of .01, priority kicks in immediately as soon as the game starts. Players with the best priority will play virtually all their minutes right away. Using a .01 priority you can stagger your lineup to control the exact amount of minutes played (and the exact time of insertion into the lineup) for the whole team.

With a mid-range PS (.3-.7) priority kicks in off and on during the course of the game -- acting as a compromise between a .01 setting and a 1.0 setting. This type of setting will also guarantee the best 5 priority players their minutes like a 1.0 setting, but it will also protect some of the other players' minutes (usually the next 2-3 best priority settings) from even higher priority players eating up their minutes.

Overall, the PS setting is a very delicate, but powerful tool to use in the league. Each team seems to run best at a different PS rating and/or lineup strategy.

Since each position can be assigned its own PS setting, you can customize your rotations based on each team's needs.

Teams coached by the computer use a PS of 1 for all 5 positions.

10.4 Offensive Intensity (OI)

There are 5 levels of Offensive Intensity (OI):

1. Very Passive

2. Passive

3. Normal

4. Greedy

5. Very Greedy

Each level of OI affects certain aspects of a player's game. Depending on which level you choose for each player, their chances for Shots Taken, FG%, Assists, and Turnovers vary.

The following is a chart of how all 5 OI levels affect the play of each player:

1 2 3 4 5

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Shot Rate -- - 0 + ++

FG% - + 0 - --

Assist Rate ++ + 0 - --

Turnover Rate ++ + 0 - --

Here is an explanation:

1. Very Passive: Player takes a shot only as the last option. FG% is actually reduced slightly since player will sometimes pass up open shots. However, assist rate increases more because the player is trying to make the extra pass to an open player. Turnover rate also increases more since sometimes that "extra" pass was a bad idea.

2. Passive: Player tries to go to his teammates first, but will take the open shot. FG% increases slightly because he takes less "forced" shots and more open shots. Assist and turnover rates increase slightly since player is making an effort to give the ball up to a teammate.

3. Normal: No rates are affected, since the player plays exactly according to his season stats.

4. Greedy: Player is given the green light. FG% is reduced slightly since he tries many tough shots. Assist and turnover rates are also reduced, since player is less likely to pass.

5. Very Greedy: Coach wants this guy to go in and take over! He calls his own number whenever possible. FG% is reduced a little more because some "wild" shots are taken. Assist and turnover rates are also reduced even more since passing is almost unheard of. (If he gets the ball, its going up!)

While OI changes the rates of your players' stats for the game he is in, there is no guarantee that he will act accordingly. It only changes the chances that he will take a shot each time he gets the ball. For example: You can tell Dominique to go in and take over a game, but sometimes, due to random numbers, he just may not get the ball as much as he usually does, and only puts up the numbers he usually does.

Computer coached teams always assign an OI value of 3 to all players.

NOTE: You should use this strategy carefully. Decide carefully who you want to be at each level, and experiment a little. Don't make all your players greedy, since this will only result in reducing the FG% for the whole team. Try and use this to decide who you want to shoot more, and who you would rather give the ball up.

10.5 Defensive Intensity (DI)

DI works exactly like OI, except that it pertains to defense instead of offense. The 5 levels of DI are:

1. Very Non-Aggressive

2. Non-Aggressive

3. Normal

4. Aggressive

5. Very Aggressive

The following table shows how DI affects each player:

1 2 3 4 5

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Steal Rate -- - 0 + ++

Block Rate -- - 0 + ++

Personal Foul Rate -- - 0 + ++

Fatigue Rate -- - 0 + ++

So, as you can see, the more aggressive a player is on defense, the more his steal and block rates increase; however, the personal foul rate also increases. NOTE: The personal foul rate only is affected by DI when the player is on defense. There is no change in personal foul rate when the player is on offense or rebounding.

Players also tire faster or slower, depending on how aggressive they are on defense.

Teams coached by the computer are assigned a DI of 3 to each player.

10.6 Rebounding Intensity (RI)

As you have probably already guessed, RI works just like OI and DI, however, it only affects rebounding. The 5 levels of RI are:

1. Hey, look what I found!

2. Lucky rebounding

3. Normal

4. Pound the boards

5. Mr. Windex

The following table illustrates how RI affects each player:

1 2 3 4 5

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Rebounding Rate -- - 0 + ++

Personal Foul Rate -- - 0 + ++

Fatigue Rate -- - 0 + ++

As you can see, the harder a player rebounds, the better the chance of him getting a rebound, but it also gives him a better chance of committing a foul. NOTE: Rebounding Rate refers to both Offensive and Defensive Rebounding Rate. RI only affects the personal foul rate when a player is going for a rebound, not when the player is on offense or defense.

Players also tire faster or slower, based on how aggressive they are when rebounding -- although this variation is not as much as when playing more/less aggressive on defense.

Teams coached by the computer are assigned an RI of 3 to each player.

10.7 Foul Trouble (FT)

When a player gets into "foul trouble", this parameter tells the computer how much to "tone down" the player's aggressiveness on defense, and when rebounding. The FT setting for each player is usually a number between 0 and 4. This number is subtracted from the player's DI and RI settings when the player is determined to be in foul trouble.

For example, Olajuwon has a DI of 4 and an RI of 5. If he also has an FT of 3, then his DI will be reduced to 1, and his RI reduced to 2 when he is considered in foul trouble. He will play less aggressive on defense and while rebounding until he is no longer considered to be in foul trouble, at which time his DI and RI settings will return to normal.

If FT = 0, then the player never gets into foul trouble, and uses his full DI and RI settings throughout the game. If a player gets into foul trouble, and his FT setting is such that his DI or RI will go below 1, then 1 will be used -- 1 is the lowest possible DI or RI.

See Foul Trouble Ratio (below) to see what determines when a player is in "foul trouble".

Teams coached by the computer do not use the FT parameter (FT = 0).

10.8 Foul Trouble Ratio

The Foul Trouble Ratio is a parameter set for the entire team. It tells the computer exactly when each player is considered to be in foul trouble. Usually it is a number between .05 and .25. Here's how the FT Ratio works:

The player is considered to be in Foul Trouble, if:

(6 - Fouls already committed)/(MIN - Minutes already played) < FT Ratio

In other words:

Fouls left (divided by) Minutes left > FT Ratio

Here's an example:

David Robinson has a MIN of 40, and a FT rating of 2. The FT Ratio for the team is set at .1.

Robinson has currently played 15 minutes, and committed 2 fouls. He is not considered to be in foul trouble, since (6-2)/(40-15) = .16, well above .1.

However, if he then commits 2 fouls in the next 3 minutes, he would be in foul trouble, since (6-4)/(40-18) = .091; thus he would be in foul trouble until the ratio once again rose above .1.

Since computer teams don't use the FT system, so are assigned an FT Ratio or -1000.

10.9 Blowout Settings

Each player has a Blowout number (BLW) and each team has 2 blowout settings (Winning Blowout Number, and Losing Blowout Number). In short, each time any team is winning by more than their Winning Blowout Number, or losing by more than their Losing Blowout Number, the team enters "blowout" mode.

While in blowout mode, each players PRI numbers are adjusted by adding their BLW number to it. Some players will have a negative BLW number (to get them more playing time during a blowout), while others will have a positive BLW number (to give them a rest during a blowout).

Example: Mark Price has PRI numbers of: 1 21 41 61 81, and a BLW of: 10.

Spud Webb has PRI numbers of: 8 28 48 68 88 and a BLW of -5.

Under normal circumstances, Mark Price would get priority over Spud Webb, since his PG priority is 1 compared to Spud's 8. However, during a "blowout" situation, Spud would get priority over Mark Price, since Spud Webb would then have the following PRI numbers: 3 23 43 63 83 while Mark Price would have PRI numbers of 11 31 51 71 91.

When assigning BLW numbers, it is important not to assign anything that would cause the player to "jump" into an unnatural position classification, since they may end up playing out of position during a blowout (unless that is desired). For example, assigning Spud a BLW of -10 above, would give him a SG PRI of 18 during a blowout, which would indicate he is a primary candidate to play shooting guard.

Computer controlled teams do not use the Blowout functions, thus 0 is assigned to all players' BLW numbers.