At the inaugural Jr. NBA World Championship this past August, all 32 teams were empowered with live analytics during games. Each coach was given an iPad with the ShotTracker app so that they could acquire and make use of real-time stats and analytics at the Orlando-based tournament.
To track the data, all players wore sensors on their shoes during games, and the basketball itself was ShotTracker-enabled. The first-of-its kind global youth basketball tournament took place from Aug. 7 to 12 and featured 32 of the top 13- and 14-year-old boys’ and girls’ teams from around the world.
The tournament was broadcasted by FOX Sports, giving commentators access to ShotTracker’s advanced stats and zone maps to enhance the viewing experience.
Dana Copeland, assistant coach for the U.S. Central team, believes ShotTracker helped his team win the girls title at the tournament. “My first game, my girls shot 41 threes. The second game, I had ShotTracker. I was looking and was like ‘Hold on, all of our points are coming in the paint,’” said Copeland.
“I showed my girls, because when I tell them, they don’t listen to that. But when they see the numbers and they see what’s actually going on, it clicked for them and they started going in [the paint]. I believe [ShotTracker] helped us win this, no doubt.”