Sports Media Report
Data Driven Sports (DDSports), the parent company of ShotTracker, today announced they will implement a fully-immersive data and video experience for viewers, coaches, media and officials as part of the 2021 Hall of Fame Classic Presented by Hotels.com on November 21-22 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
The two-night event will feature the most all-encompassing use of in-game technology ever seen in college basketball. Participating teams Arkansas, Cincinnati, Illinois and Kansas State will have full use of ShotTracker’s full suite of tools.
The Hall of Fame Classic, which is operated by the Kansas City-based National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), first partnered with ShotTracker in 2018 to integrate advanced technology into the tournament. The 2018 Hall of Fame Classic was the first to utilize ShotTracker’s player-tracking technology in Division I games, while this year’s event will be the first to take advantage of an experimental NCAA rule allowing video technology on team benches during live play.
“We are excited to be able to use the Hall of Fame Classic as the first and boldest use of all the ways technology can and will impact the fan, the broadcaster, brands and the coaching experience going into the very near future,” said Davyeon Ross, DDSports/ShotTracker Co-Founder and President. “We have seen each piece of the presentation tested and implemented successfully in the past few years and being able to showcase every aspect of our work for a global audience is historic not just for our business, but for the fan and the coaching experience.”
“Our partnership with ShotTracker has helped develop the Hall of Fame Classic into one of the most innovative events in all of sports,” said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. “Technological and data-driven advancement is the future of college basketball, and ShotTracker and the Hall of Fame Classic continue to be at the forefront of that movement.”
Leveraging ShotTracker’s unique, real-time player and ball tracking data, combined with automated partner content and analytics platforms, the four games will feature:
Video on the Bench: All coaches will be able to access real-time advanced analytics combined with video clips to optimize their lineups and play-calling during games, via the ShotTracker app on Apple iPad Pro tablets. Evertz Microsystems, a ShotTracker technology partner and investor, will combine data and video within their DreamCatcherTM platform, generating real-time clips associated with each statistic. In addition to ball movement stats such as Point Per Possession broken down by the number of passes made, ball reversals and paint touches will be new ball and off-ball screen metrics powered by machine learning from ShotTracker partner and investor Verizon. “Bringing ShotTracker’s fast and accurate data into DreamCatcherTM makes these innovations possible,” said Vince Silvestri, Vice President Software Systems at Evertz. “We’re excited about the potential of our ShotTracker partnership to drive the real-time experiences that teams and fans crave.”
Advanced Analytics & Graphics: Deeper, clearer data-driven graphics will enhance both the in-game experience for fans on mobile devices and on video boards as well as for broadcasters. Unique metrics that coaches rely on for managing their team will be brought to life on every screen, including ball and player tracing and augmented reality shot charts.
Video Assisted Referee (VAR) Replay Support: The same DreamCatcherTM replay technology used for live sports production is also an industry-leader in sub-second Video Assisted Referee (VAR) applications. Replay officials can view multiple 4K video angles in sync, and use one-touch zoom for greater clarity, POV and analysis, so that referee judgements and play challenges can be fast and accurate, aiding the flow of games.
Real-Time Data at Your Fingertips: Supporting the trend toward “paperless statistics,” up to the second wide-ranging game data will be provided to members of the press via a dashboard designed for easy access and new insights. In addition to traditional game metrics, data beyond the box score will be available in real time, helping drive unique storytelling.
