2013 Draft Candidate Combine

The 2013 Draft Candidate Combine is a new live event being held for the first time on Monday, September 2nd, 2013. The event will feature a special exhibition game played by the top 24 athletes of the 2013 FBA Draft Pool. All players will be given equal time on the court and their performances watched carefully by FBA officials to determine the ranking in the final top 24 list. The game will be played out using NBA 2K13 on the Xbox 360.

Instead of having their stats individually set, the players will be given default ratings from the game according to their size, weight, position and a few basic ratings about their game.

TEAM A (Red)

Terrence Tolliver #50 - Pronghorn

Alessandro Serra #8 - Weasel

Barnaby Jazz #69 - Shark

Russell Savoy #99 - Binturong

Siegfried Romanoren #5 - White Lion

Jerry Ratillian Michaels #72 - Fancy Rat

Lemond Conkale (le-MOND kahn-KAW-lay) #6 - Florida Panther

Diego Imperio #7 - Degu

Vladimir Andreiovich Zhidkov #36 - Siberian Tiger

Travis Buckner #13 - Grey Koala

Albert Jon Middendorff #53 - Kodiak Bear

Jeri Naranjo #46 - Cacomistle

TEAM B (Blue)

Evan Marshall #19 - Helmeted Woodpecker

Kilisimasi Fu'afu'a #25 - Huon tree kangaroo

Viran Kivar #71 - Jaguar

René Lacoste #29 - Jackal

Catherine DeMille # 16 - Palm Cockatoo

Zack Plushpaw #65 - Pine Parten

Wayne Kirkpatrick #44 - Tasmanian Devil

Augustin Benoit #85 - Bat-eared Fox

Andrew West #23 - Spotted Quoll

Mahmud Zarif #66 - Addax

Raoul Kidane #89 - Ethiopian Wolf

Raul Zuleta #77 - Red Fox

Draft Candidate Combine Stats

These are the ten statistics that are tracked for each player appearing in the contest.

Position

This is the team position the candidate is strongest at playing.

PG	Point Guard
SG	Shooting Guard
SF	Small Forward
PF	Power Forward
C	Center

Point Guard

Point guards are responsible for "taking point", or acting as the floor general for their team. Nearly all plays begin with the point guard, who will choose which play the team will run. The most important skills for a point guard are passing and dribbling. They do not have to be good at shooting or scoring to be effective leaders of their teams.

Shooting Guard

Shooting guards play the guard position, as in they are responsible for playing around the perimeter away from the basket, but instead of calling plays, the shooting guard handles all the duties the point guard does not, as in shooting and scoring. Some shooting guards are better defenders than shooters, making them valuable not for scoring, but for stopping the other team from scoring.

Both point guards and shooting guards are typically shorter than 6' 6".

Small Forward

Small forwards are the Swiss Army Knives of the team, needing to be able to play both in the guard positions away from the basket and in the forward positions close to the basket. The team's small forward has to be the most versatile player on the team. Because they have to be able to play close to the basket, the are almost always 6' 6" or taller, but usually no taller than 6' 10".

Power Forward

Power forwards are expected to stay close to the basket most of the time. They have to be big players, but also need to show exceptional athleticism and be able to score from the paint. Power forwards are generally no shorter than 6' 9" and can be very tall, generally up to 7' 0".

Center

The Center is the tallest player on the team. He performs many of the same functions as the power forward, staying close to the basket, but is generally also expected to provide more distribution and pull more rebounds. Since centers are the very tallest players, they are rarely exceptionally quick or athletic, making them weaker shooters, but are most effective at rebounding. They often stand taller than 6' 11".

Play Style

This is the playing style of the candidate. This will determine the kind of ratings the candidate is given in the game.

All-Around

Available to all positions. The candidate has good abilities all around, with no single skill that exceptional.

Pass First

Only available to point guards. Means the candidate prefers to pass the ball to start the play, rarely taking the shot his or herself.

Scoring

Available to point guards, shooting guards and small forwards. The candidate emphasizes scoring from midrange and has a very well honed jumpshot.

Defensive

Available to all positions. The candidate emphasizes defense and is especially good at stopping the offensive team from scoring.

3pt Specialist

Available to point guards, shooting guards and small forwards. The candidate emphasizes shooting from beyond the arc and hitting 3 pointers.

Athletic

Available to all positions. The candidate is highly athletic, with exceptional speed and strength. The best dunkers in the FBA have this play style.

Slashing

Available to shooting guards and small forwards. The candidate is exceptionally quick with the dribble and fast on his or her feet, able to get by defenders with remarkable skill.

Point Forward

Only available to small forwards. The candidate is an unusually strong leader and good at calling plays, so good that he often plays point despite having a forward's size.

Back to Basket

Available to power forwards and centers. The candidate likes to post up, turning his back to the basket and pushing back the defense. He or she is also good at the turn around shot, showing excellent grace. This is best for tall, physically strong players.

Faceup

Available to power forwards and centers. The candidate likes to face the basket and the defense. Probably lacks the strength to post up, so he or she is a strong shooter instead, or exceptionally good dribbling despite his or her size.

Rebounding

Available to power forwards and centers. The candidate focuses on rebounding the ball, grabbing possession after the ball comes off the hoop.

Secondary Position

This is the candidate's second best position on the field. It can also be set to "None".

Jersey Number

This is the jersey number the candidate has requested for the game.

Play Type 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

The play types define the strongest features of the candidate's game. Play Type 1 is the strongest, with each being progressively weaker until Play Type 4.

Play Type 2, 3 and 4 can be set to "None".

Isolation

The player is best at the one-on-one matchup. He or she will have teammates clear space so he or she can use dribble moves and quick footwork to get around the defense.

P&R Ball Handler

The Pick & Roll is a common play on the basketball court. It involves a larger player setting a screen (pick), then the ball handler using the screen to brush off the defense. Because a common defensive strategy to quickly recover from a pick is to swap defenders, the ball handler will then take advantage of a smaller defender guarding the bigger player by passing to him (roll). The larger player will then attempt a basket with the advantage of being guarded by an undersized defender.

The player with this play type is skilled at the move when playing the ball handler role.

P&R Roll Man =

In the above Pick & Roll play, the player with this play type is skilled at being the pick and taking the shot off the roll.

Post Up Low

The player is good at posting up with his back to the basket, especially when down low close to the hoop. Common for tall players.

Post Up High

The player is good at posting up with his back to the basket, especially when high up far from the hoop. Somewhat unusual, but best for shorter, very physically strong players.

Cutter

The player is exceptionally fast and very good at changing direction suddenly.

Mid Range

The player has an outstanding jump shot and is exceptional at hitting midrange shots.

3 PT

The player has outstanding range and is very good at hitting shots from outside the arc.

Play Initiator

If you select 'Yes,' it means the team can call on this player to open up a play. This should only be for point guards and point forwards.

Signature Skill

Every candidate is allowed to have one signature skill for the game.

Posterizer

Example Players: Rodger Umaechi, Sammy Sickstra, Joey Juloni

A player with this skill will often look to dunk on defenders when attempting a dunk in traffic.

Highlight Film

Example Players: Stephan Soro, L.V. McDyess, Rob Jacobs

When looking to dunk, a player with this skill will look to perform the most spectacular dunk available amongst the dunks in his repertoire.

Finisher

Example Players: Shane Rufus, Maryanne Whittman, Allen Sharp

This player is adept at finishing contact layups and dunks at a higher rate than others.

Acrobat

Example Players: Coburn Richardson, Zoie Wilds, Jamie Velasquez

This is a player that can change his shot in the air without severely reducing his chance of making the shot.

Spot Up Shooter

Example Players: Petr Sek, Theodore Sanftner, Mitch Ruffcorn

This shooter is known for his ability to spot-up and knock down perimeter shots while shooting from a stand-still position.

Shot Creator

Example players: Jackson Nuez, Sebastian Grey, Leah Barsky

A player with this skill can hit shots at a higher percentage than most if he creates space for his shot.

Deadeye

Example Players: Oliver Vance, Steven Standard, Monty Silverthorn

Late arriving defenders have less impact on this type of shooter than most.

Corner Specialist

Example Players: Michael Porter, Ryan Thatcher, Rocky Couture

This is a skill reserved for players who are exceptional at knocking down three point shots from the corner where the sideline and the baseline meet.

Post Proficiency

Example Players: Edward Hudson, Neil Charlton, Erich Haber

This is a player with supreme low post offensive skills.

Ankle Breaker

Example Players: Mitchell Redding, Devon Kellendyne, Cheeto Wolfote

This player is apt to break the ankles of his defender when performing isolation dribble moves.

Post Playmaker

Example Players: Bill Bent, Samantha Anderson, Aragon Fisher

This is a player known for hitting open guys in a good position to score when passing the ball out of the post.

Dimer

Example Players: Gary Wells, Frank London, Vera La Tiérra

This skill is reserved for top-notch passers who are known for hitting open guys in the correct position to score.

Break Starter

Example Players: Sanford Teeson, Stephanie Beck, Tay McKie

This player is known for initiating fast breaks with accurate outlet passes.

Alley-Ooper

Example Players: Roofus Rachet, Rolf Sweetser, Stripes Quinn

This is a player known for throwing accurate alley-oop passes.

Brick Wall

Example Players: Barry Aldran, Pohu Ka'aholo, Dudley Clark

This player engulfs defenders with physical screens, making them more difficult to get through or around. Often times you’ll find defenders getting hit with such force that it causes them to stumble or fall to the ground.

Lockdown Defender

Example Players: Doral, Ned Pritchard, Urayak Monogoyak

A top-notch perimeter defender who automatically neutralizes most offensive Signature Skills of the player he’s actively guarding.

Charge Card

Example Players: Jeff Random, Maria Rojas, Alvero Diaz

This player specializes in the art of drawing charges.

Interceptor

Example Players: Valencia Zeraus, Ridley Madison, Lance Wildfyre

Getting pass lane steals is this player’s forte.

Pick Pocket

Example Players: Kinny DeMarcus, Telki Holland, Pat Winters

An on-ball thief adept at stealing the ball from players attempting dribble moves.

Active Hands

Example Players: Brandon Dreyvus, Aisha Melbourne, Wescot Yobia

This player can more easily strip the ball from players attempting shots, layups and dunks.

Eraser

Example Players: Saul Tortuga, Jimmy Mavis, Gordon Reilly

A player with this skill is known for protecting the rim with emphatic, crowd pleasing blocks.

Chase Down Artist

Example Players: Brax Trenor, Lucinda Washington, Vishnu Cross

This skill is reserved for players that are adept at chasing players down on fastbreaks and swatting their layup and dunk attempts from behind.

Bruiser

Example Players: Steven Munt, Doug Dramson, Wendy Brown

The overall size, power and relentlessness of this player will drain energy from his match-up upon physical contact.

Hustle Points

Example Players: Neil LaRocca, Hassan Kamal, Godfrey Zindendel

This player is known for his ability to score following an offensive rebound.

Scrapper

Example Players: Silas Rand, Cliff Matthiews, Doug Smith

A hustle guy known for his ability to dive for loose balls, win boxout battles and strip rebounds from opponents.

Anti-Freeze

Example Players: Sarah Lancaster, Lance Freewell, Omar Pink

A player that rarely goes on a cold streak, even when missing several shots in a row. When a player starts to miss shots or turn the ball over, he’ll eventually get cold and his abilities will decrease for a period of time. However, it takes twice as many misses and turnovers for an Anti-Freeze player to get to that point. Basically, he’s a fairly steady player.

Microwave

Example Players: Jon Washington, Charles Neal, Li Ho Fook

A player with this skill can heat up in a hurry. It takes fewer made shots and good plays for a Microwave to get hot than players without this skill. Once hot, various offensive and defensive attributes are given a boost for a period of time.

Heat Retention

Example Players: Mathiyazhagan Balasubramaniam, Carl Esteban, Alonzo Murillo

Players with this skill retain their hot streaks through various game breaks, and they have the ability to maintain their hot streaks through bad plays longer than most players. Typically, when a timeout occurs or the end of a quarter hits, players that are hot will have automatic cool downs that bring them back to normal. Heat Retention players stay hot through these breaks and only bad plays such as missed shots and turnovers can bring this player back to normal. Even then, it takes twice as many missed shots and turnovers for a Heat Retention guy to return to normal.

Closer

Example Players: Ryan Malone, Ana Azara, Sebastian Spelt

This player raises his game in clutch moments.

Floor General

Example Players: Franz Volker, Lucas Dupre, Gunther Klaus

This skill identifies an offensive team leader that has the ability to raise the offensive game of his teammates while he is on the floor.

Defensive Anchor

Example Players: Karl Chiklak, Stefan Kiković, Nick Nwabudike

This skill identifies a defense team leader that has the ability to raise the defensive game of his teammates while he is on the floor.