Scouting and integrating new players with Hudl Sportscode and Instat

In a competitive basketball landscape—where budgets are tight and windows to recruit are short—clubs need tools that simplify decision-making and reduce risk. This article outlines how Hudl Sportscode and Hudl Instat combine to power smarter scouting and recruitment workflows.

Instat gives coaches access to league-wide video and data, making it easy to assess a player’s strengths, habits, and fit in real-game scenarios. Sportscode then takes that data and enables coaches to go deeper—breaking down how a potential signing would integrate into the team’s specific system.

Together, these tools help teams move from just watching highlights to understanding how a player performs across games, systems, and situations—saving time and improving confidence in every decision.

A stat sheet tells you what a player did, but not how they did it. Instat provides full-match video and contextual data, so you’re not relying on highlight reels. You can filter players by position, style, or competition level, and then view possessions, play types, and efficiency in real time. This allows you to go beyond simple numbers and see the full picture of a player’s performance, including their basketball shot performance in high-pressure situations.

You can identify players who truly fit your style, not just ones who look good in clips. For example, if you need a point guard who excels at running a fast break, you can filter for that specific play type in Instat and watch all of their transition possessions to see their decision-making under pressure.

Recruit Based on Role, Not Just Resume

A resume lists a player's past accomplishments, but it doesn’t guarantee future success in your system. This is where Sportscode, the ultimate performance analysis software, comes in. You can use it to break down how a prospect might perform in your system (e.g., switch defense, transition spacing, motion offense). Simply import external match footage and tag it with your team’s language and structure. This allows you to compare current squad members with targets using the same analysis framework.

You can evaluate a potential signing's real-world fit before they ever set foot on your court, which significantly reduces the risk of a bad signing and improves player retention. For instance, you could tag a recruit's clips for "ball screen coverage" and discover that they consistently go under screens, a habit that would conflict with your team's over-the-top defensive philosophy.

Global Reach, Local Focus

Instat gives you access to hundreds of leagues around the world, perfect for clubs looking for value signings or youth prospects abroad. You can use data filters to narrow searches and get straight to the right players without relying on word-of-mouth or expensive scouting trips.

You can open up new markets for recruitment without spending a dime on in-person travel, giving you a competitive advantage on a global scale. This is a core feature of modern basketball video analysis software. For example, you can discover an undervalued prospect in a foreign league by filtering for their specific stats and watching their game tape, all without ever leaving your office.

From Identification to Integration

The moment a player signs, their development begins. After a signing, you can use Sportscode to seamlessly onboard players with video clips and tactical breakdowns. Compare their previous performance to your team's expectations and show them exactly where they need to adapt. This helps new players get up to speed faster and minimizes the learning curve.

Benefit: You can accelerate a new player's adaptation and increase their early performance impact, ensuring your signing contributes immediately. For example, you can create a side-by-side comparison in Sportscode, showing a clip of how they ran a particular play in their old system and then showing a clip of how you want them to run it in your system.

Save Time and Make Confident Decisions

Scouting and recruitment can be a time-consuming process, but it doesn’t have to be. With Instat and Sportscode, you no longer need to spend hours scanning multiple platforms, databases, and spreadsheets. Everything you need—video, stats, tactical context—is in one seamless workflow.

Benefit: You can make faster, clearer, and more data-driven decisions that fit your club's identity. For instance, instead of relying on a dozen different sources, you can find a prospect, analyze their habits, and get a clear picture of their fit, all within one day.

Use Instat to assess potential signings with video and stats from their current league. Then use Sportscode to simulate how they’d fit into your system using your tagging structure. This combined approach makes your signings smarter, as they are backed by both global data and team context.

Scouting shouldn’t be guesswork. By using Hudl Instat and Sportscode together, coaches and recruitment teams get a clear, contextualised picture of any player—before they ever step on your court. It’s not just about finding talent. It’s about finding the right talent, faster.

Ready to take your recruitment process to the next level? Explore the possibilities with Hudl Instat and Hudl Sportscode.