NBA 2K23 MyCAREER has changed up the format this year, and you'll have to wait for the College Flashbacks quest to get some NCAA action.
We've got all the details you need to unlock your College Leadership Skills through this NBA 2K23 College Flashbacks Guide for The City.
NBA 2K23 College Flashbacks Guide
If you've been playing through MyCAREER in NBA 2K23, you may have noticed the conspicuous presence of College Leadership Skills.
While you learn at the outset of MyCAREER about core Leadership Skills and the balance between Trailblazer and General answers, they don't clarify the third category.
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College Leadership Skills can be spotted in the character progression menu with other Leadership Skills, but you won't gain access to them until much later in MyCAREER.
Last year's MyCAREER journey started in college, but in NBA 2K23 they've flipped the script with a jump back in time after you've already established your NBA standing.
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How to unlock the College Flashbacks quest
The exact trigger for the College Flashbacks quest is still a bit unclear, but the most likely factor may be finishing the Palace Intrigue quest line.
With so many different quests through NBA 2K23 MyCAREER in The City, different players are reporting different times when it finally activates, but chances are you need to keep going with other quests if you don't see it.
Core district related quests like It's a Cole World and Courting Calloway are both linked to College Flashbacks, but may not need to be finished to actually unlock it.
In our case, College Flashbacks appeared in the MyCAREER Quest Journal after finishing Palace Intrigue, It's A Cole World, Courting Calloway, and Uncle Bobby's World (which comes after Not Your Father's Hot Dogs).
Once it does appear in your Quest Journal, you'll see the primary objective that "Ashley will text you when the first interview is set up."
If you're at that stage, continue with other quests and play more NBA games until the quest gives you the objective to "go to One City Plaza for your interview."
Pick your University
Once you've started the interview, you'll enter the path towards your first of several College Leadership Skills.
The first task is selecting your team, and you can choose from the following college programs:
- Florida Gators
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
- UCLA Bruins
- Syracuse Orange
- Villanova Wildcats
- Connecticut Huskies
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Michigan State Spartans
- West Virginia Mountaineers
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- Georgetown Hoyas
They don't exhibit any major differences between the teams as you choose, so most likely the experience will be basically the same regardless of team.
College Leadership Skills
Finally we arrive at the big allure of the College Flashbacks quest as players look to earn their College Leadership Skills.
While the method for regular Leadership Skills includes a points system and you get to buy as you need, things are simplified for College Skills.
There are a total of 10 different College Leadership Skills in NBA 2K23 MyCAREER, and you'll be faced with the the choice between two at (almost) every stage of this quest.
Each time you start an interview, it will segue into one game or scenario from your college career with the choice of one College Leadership Skill you can unlock for your MyPLAYER.
Different skills come with different requirements for the quest objective itself, and they trigger automatically during games if their parameters are met.
College Skills 1
The following two College Leadership Skills are your first choice ahead of the first game in the College Flashbacks quest.
Never Had A Doubt
- Requirement: Get 5 assists or assisted field goals in the second half.
- Boost: Gives a significant boost to Inside, Mid-Range, 3-Point Shooting. Gives a boost to Post Defense and Perimeter Defense for you and your teammates. Gives a significant boost to Agility, Hustle, Offensive IQ, and Defensive IQ for your teammates.
- Duration: 24 Possessions
Slow and Steady
- Requirement: Make 5 unassisted field goals in the second half.
- Boosts: Gives a significant boost to Inside Shooting, Mid-Range Shooting, 3-Point Shooting, Post Defense and Perimeter Defense for you and your teammates.
- Duration: 24 Possessions
College Skills 2
Following the first game, you'll be required to "win over one of the districts to unlock the next interview" before having the option to dive into another game and pick between these two options.
Give No Quarter
- Requirement: Get 7 assists or assisted field goals in the first half.
- Boosts: Gives a significant boost to Agility, Playmaking, Post Defense, and Perimeter Defense. Gives a significant boost to Inside Shooting, Mid-Range Shooting, 3-Point Shooting and Agility for your teammates.
- Duration: 24 Possessions
Off To The Races
- Requirement: Make 7 unassisted field goals in the first half.
- Boosts: Gives a significant boost to Inside, Mid-Range, 3-Point Shooting. Gives a significant boost to Agility, Post Defense, Perimeter Defense, Hustle, Offensive IQ and Defensive IQ for your teammates.
- Duration: 24 Possessions
College Skills 3
Next up you'll need to "win over two of the districts to unlock the third interview," and then you'll get one of these Leadership Skills.
It's About How You Finish
- Requirement: Get 2 assists or assisted field goals in 1 minute.
- Boosts: Gives a significant boost to Agility, Playmaking, Post Defense, and Perimeter Defense. Gives a significant boost to Inside Shooting, Mid-Range Shooting, 3-Point Shooting and Agility for your teammates.
- Duration: Rest of Game
Not Over Till It's Over
- Requirement: Get 2 consecutive unassisted field goals in 1 minute.
- Boosts: Gives a significant boost to Inside, Mid-Range, 3-Point Shooting. Gives a significant boost to Agility, Post defense, Perimeter Defense, Hustle and Defensive IQ for your teammates.
- Duration: Rest of Game
College Skills 4
Things get a bit more confusing here, as it's not clear if the fourth set are meant to be identical or if there's a bug in NBA 2K23 MyCAREER causing them to appear identical.
As seen above, ours both show as unlocked following the game that comes after you "win over all three districts to unlock the fourth interview," and the details are the same for each.
No choice was presented before that game, but we were given an objective to hold a specific player to 8 or fewer points in the first half which appears to be the trigger for these.
Don't Believe The Hype / Who's The Underdog Here?
- Requirement: Hold 85+ OVR player to 8 or fewer points in the 1st half.
- Boosts: Gives a significant boot to Strength, Agility, Post Defense, and Perimeter Defense for you and your teammates.
- Duration: 24 Possessions
We've verified with a separate save that listings are also identical prior to unlocking them, so these are either identical or a bug is affecting multiple saves.
College Skills 5
Last up, your final objective will be to "win the Hammond Park Classic to unlock the final interview," and it's one we're still working towards.
One player on Reddit reported the objectives for the final challenge are to "Score 8 Solo Highlight Plays" or "Score 8 Team Highlight Plays," so the final versions of these may be linked to that.
While we can't confirm the unlocked versions of the final College Leadership Skills just yet, here's what they show before things have been unlocked.
Never Tell Me The Odds
- Activation: Has a chance to activate when facing a team with 3 or more 88+ OVR players.
- Boosts: Gives a significant boost to Inside, Mid-Range, 3-Point Shooting. Gives a significant boost to Post Defense and Perimeter Defense for you and your teammates. Gives a significant boost to Strength and Agility for your teammates.
- Duration: 24 Possessions
Well-Oiled Machine
- Activation: Has a chance to activate when facing a team with 3 or more 88+ OVR players.
- Boosts: Gives a significant boost to Strength, Agility, and Playmaking. Gives a significant boost to Post Defense and Perimeter Defense for you and your teammates. Gives a significant boost to Inside, Mid-Range, 3-Point Shooting for your teammates.
- Duration: 24 Possessions
After unlocking these final options, you'll be able to continue your MyCAREER journey with your College Leadership Skills prepped and ready to activate.