Growing up, my parents, grandparents, and seemingly every adult around me used to emphasize the value and power of being both educated and informed. Knowledge was power, and wielding power was good! Fast forward to 2018, and to say that we live in the information age is a vast understatement. Everything we eat, watch, purchase, listen to, or even think about is monitored, stored, evaluated, and used to "enhance" the quality of our lives. As Orwellian, as it may sound, there is great value in the amount of information converted into metrics that allow our society to press ever-forward. That is especially true when it comes to sports!

The 2018 March Madness for college basketball tournament is upon us, and the need and benefits of accurate, up-to-the-minute analytics have never been more crucial! Coaches, players, talent scouts, and potential corporate sponsors all pay attention to the data captured at every turn. Not so long ago, coaches would gauge the caliber of an athlete by using the tried and true tradition of an "eye test." This was simple empiricism at its best, and that subjective viewpoint could often determine who had the potential to be the next Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade, or Kobe Bryant. Now, coaches and their support staff pour over figures, formulas, charts, and graphs in a focused effort to gain precognitive insight into the best way to win the next game.

To truly appreciate how data collection has impacted basketball in 2018, we only need to look back a few years ago to 2013 when the NBA installed player tracking systems in all 29 of their arenas. This was the moment that the game changed for many players. No longer could a player hide their shortcomings on the court. In an instance, coaches, assistants, franchise owners, and even the players were now privy to more information and knowledge about the players and the game than they had ever imagined possible.

Players that once provided raw scoring numbers were suddenly critiqued and judged. Sure, Kobe Bryant shoots a lot, but what else does he bring to the table? How is he at defense? Can he rebound? What does he contribute to overall team development and performance? Suddenly, superstars were criticized for not being more well-rounded athletes. After analytics and data interpretation became the "de facto" method for evaluating an athlete's performance on the court, a paradigm shifted in how the game was played. Don't believe that? In January 2015, the NBA saw more three-point shot attempts than free throws in a month. That had never happened before, and that trend has remained consistent three years later! It is virtually impossible to ignore the importance of the three-point shot in every championship game since 2015.

An article written by Kirk Goldsberry in 2015 provided ground-breaking evidence of how vital applied analytics can be in basketball. Goldseberry, in conjunction with two Harvard Ph.D. students, demonstrated the importance of data collection, examination, and application impacted the sport. For decades analysis of defensive play within the game was largely ignored, and statistical significance was, understandably, applied to the offense. After Goldsberry and his cohorts completed their work, everything changed. According to Goldsberry, "Defense is literally half of the game," and to ignore that was nothing short of foolish. What was once intangible and untraceable in defensive play could now be observed, recorded, analyzed, and applied to elevate an individual's and a team's level of play.

So, what does this mean for the future of the sport? Yes, attention to data and analytics is here to stay. There is a concern that too heavy reliance on data will lead to the game becoming predictable and almost robotic. However, I argue, like my parents and grandparents before me, that knowledge is power, and both coaches and players will realize and accept that the information and insight gleaned from data collection and analytics are undeniably powerful. Players will be presented with information allowing them to up the ante and increase their on-court performance. After all, knowledge applied is true power on and off the court!

To learn how EasyCheck can help your team with data collection of all types, contact our team for a complete demo and discussion about your needs.