With more than a decade of coaching experience in Australian basketball, Samantha Woosnam recognises how data analytics can be used to find a decisive edge in a sport of fine margins.
It is therefore fitting that, as a senior rights and partnership manager at Sportradar, Woosnam is at the cutting edge of technology that leverages such actionable insights.
The Synergy content database is a basketball coach’s dream.
Users can search a goldmine of players from leagues worldwide, stretching back years, to identify, compile and compare specific offensive and defensive attributes. From these, a playlist of ready-made video clips can be accessed and collated easily to illustrate the findings and ultimately aid coaching and scouting decisions.
Synergy’s ‘team site’
Woosnam describes the vast content database as Synergy’s “team site”, of which there are two strands.
Firstly, through Synergy’s video-capture service, an in-house logging team is on hand to break down a multitude of game datapoints and deliver key insights back to a coach within 24 hours of the final buzzer.
Secondly, teams can use Synergy for scouting and recruitment purposes. Instead of “going in blind” and sifting through thousands of players in a bid to find the right one to sign, filters can be applied to make the process much easier and less time-consuming. For example, it is possible to find and watch the best pass-first point guards who shoot at more than 40% from three-point range in just a matter of seconds.
“More than 150 leagues sit on our ‘team site’, which is an unbelievable range, from the NBA to European leagues and competitions in Asia and Australia,” Woosnam adds.
“The technology allows coaches to see what the offensive and defensive trends are and to stay up to date, as basketball trends are different across the globe. For example, on the whole there is a greater focus on defence in European basketball and a commitment to a more free-flowing offensive style in the US. With this solution, coaches can search for and analyse the best of both worlds and introduce certain strategies into their training methods.”
Accelerating growth
Having been established in 2020 through the merger of Atrium Sports, Synergy Sports Technology and Keemotion to provide a one-stop shop for computer vision and AI-driven video and data solutions, Synergy Sports was acquired by Sportradar in 2021.
In North America, Sportradar deploy their Synergy suite directly to the NBA and 27 of their teams, as well as all WNBA, GLeague, NCAA Division I Women’s and Men’s basketball teams.
Elsewhere, growth has accelerated, particularly in the APAC region, and from the sidelines of the basketball world’s most iconic basketball arenas to grassroots venues, Synergy is increasingly seen as an indispensable tool.
Sportradar has extensive partnerships in place for its Synergy tool with the National Basketball League (NBL) and NBL1 leagues in Australia, as well as a long-term relationship with the top-tier B.League in Japan.
Progress is also being made with individual teams who are seeking even deeper partnerships with Synergy that extend beyond league-wide arrangements. For example, this year, three teams in the Australian WNBL fall into this category – Bendigo Spirit, Perth Lynx and Townsville Fire – as well as teams from the P. League+ in Taiwan.
Therefore, while the number of leagues and federations signing up for Synergy is increasing, word of mouth is also bringing individual teams on board, according to Woosnam.
“The acquisition by Sportradar opened up a lot of doors to teams and federations,” she says. “We are looking to create further partnerships in APAC and we are going in the right direction.
“We have a major foothold in this region thanks to our partnerships in Australia, and we’re looking to engage more teams, leagues and federations in Asia while not forgetting we do want to be able to provide these services to grassroots organisations as well.”
Personal development
The same Synergy tools used by the game’s most famous teams in the NBA and WNBA are now available for high school teams, where interest has “blown up”, Woosnam says.
As a result, the technology is being used to increase standards among younger players and ultimately create a higher quality of senior competition in the future.
With this in mind, Woosnam describes Synergy as “an outstanding tool for personal and player development to have at your fingertips”.
She adds, as an example: “I have gathered data on accuracy from a jump shot versus three-point range for a couple of my players, and this has helped them to adapt their approach and become better players.”
However, Sportradar is not standing still.
Powered by the Synergy Automated Camera System, AI-driven advanced player tracking is now supporting the solution, with Center-of-Mass data on each player ensuring a deeper level of data, from play locations to speed dynamics.
Underpinned by state-of-the-art technology, the aim is to build a product that is even more effective and useful for players, coaches, scouts and teams across all levels.
“We have regular catch-ups with clients asking them for feedback to aid development,” Woosnam explains. “It is my job to then compile this information and go back to the product team, which will create a roadmap for development. It’s really important to talk to clients and the thing I love about working for Sportradar is that these partnerships are not transactional. We are a genuine partner and we want to help our clients to grow.”
Actionable insights
As part of that, Sportradar will continue to build more actionable insights into its offering, supported by Sportradar’s cutting-edge AI and deep event data. Six new metrics were recently added – player impact, player roles, player comparisons, shot quality, player projections and net rating – and more will follow as the solution is enhanced in the future.
Moreover, there is an acknowledgement that the types of insights that are available through Synergy are of increasing interest to media platforms and their viewers – providing possible additional opportunities for expansion in the future.
“This solution evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of players and puts actionable insights into context,” Woosnam says. “The technology enables better game preparation and understanding, whether you are a coach, a team, or a media partner.”
From the NBA to high schools, and from the sport’s superstars to grassroots, it is clear that Sportradar’s Synergy’s evolution and growth in the APAC region and beyond will continue to focus on bringing the basketball world closer together while elevating performance to new heights.