In the years to come, the 2018 Hall of Fame Classic will be remembered as a landmark event in the data-charged sports revolution. Held at Kansas City’s Sprint Center, it marked the first time in NCAA history that D1 teams were allowed to access technology on the bench, getting real-time stats and analytics via ShotTracker’s Team App during the game.
Swapping clipboards for iPads, the coaching staffs of Texas Tech, Nebraska, Missouri State and USC used ShotTracker — the sensor-based system that instantly delivers 70+ stats and analytics via an easy-to-use app — to identify their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses and come up with a game-winning strategy.
Coaches took advantage of real-time shot charts to pinpoint the spots on the court where their players were most effective. As a result, players were able to visualize, trust and act on their coaches’ instructions like never before.
That frontier is now within sight. Many professional sports leagues have technology deals in place which give coaches and players access to real-time insights throughout the game. Now, thanks to ShotTracker and the NABC, NCAA coaches may soon have similar tools at their disposal for every game.
Texas Tech's @CoachBeardTTU weighs in on how @ShotTracker is changing the game at this year's @HOFClassic ! pic.twitter.com/r9zkV7dHl1
— ShotTracker (@ShotTracker) November 20, 2018
During the games, coaches consistently used ShotTracker to analyze, gain insight into, and step up their team’s performance. In the opening round, ESPN’s broadcast team overheard Coach Beard instructing his players to force one of USC’s Forwards to his left after seeing his first half zone map littered with made shots to the right.
After falling to Texas Tech, USC used ShotTracker-powered intel to defeat Missouri State in the consolation game. The Trojans’ coaching staff successfully encouraged their players to move the ball more by pointing to a 0.6 differential in points per possession when they made between 4-6 passes, as opposed 0-3 passes.
“As you become more familiar with ShotTracker, it becomes easier to use,” says USC director of basketball operations Michael Swets.
In the title game, Nebraska used its patented motion-based offense to jump out to 15-6 lead. The Red Raiders stormed back with a 12-0 run. In the second half, they pulled away for good, deploying a stingy defense to hold the Cornhuskers to just 52 points. Despite coming in second, Nebraska’s coaching staff was nonetheless impressed by ShotTracker.
If the praise from coaches who participated in the 2018 Hall of Classic is any indication, tech on the bench is here to stay.
“Having the guardians of the game buy into what we’re doing has been very humbling and inspiring,” ShotTracker COO Davyeon Ross told the Kansas City Business Journal. “[T]his is going to open up the doors because we’ve shown people what can be done.”
