Translating Technology into Wins: Insights from Leaders in Basketball

How technology has changed basketball 

Technology has transformed every corner of basketball. But for video staff and coaches, this comes with a unique set of challenges. How do you integrate new tech without overwhelming the staff? How do you use it to chase the moving target of efficiency, and more importantly, to win games, develop players and build careers?

We recently hosted a panel of coaches and video staff to discuss how they’re addressing these challenges and turning basketball technology into a performance multiplier. What followed was an honest conversation about progress, overcoming roadblocks and what it takes to make tech work for coaches and players alike.

Panel Participants:

• Cameron Kinzer, Director of Scouting and Video Operations, University of Florida Women’s Basketball

• James Pollard, Video Coordinator, University of Northern Iowa Men’s Basketball

• Joey White, Director of Analytics and Player Personnel, Wake Forest Women’s Basketball

From “a lot of wires” to instant access 

Panelists overwhelmingly agreed tech advancements have been a major positive for their programs. 

Not long ago, managing video and data was a logistical headache. “A lot less wires [now], " joked Kinzer. “That’s been pretty fun.”

“The other part is the instantaneous piece of having access to video and data. Like it's incredible how few games we have to cut now. Whether it's our own games or scouting, everything is at your fingertips,” he added.

“At the start of my time there, we were filming just with a camera up top on the concourse, and now we have our live video behind the bench, with a manager live-coding practice,” said Pollard. 

Wireless capture, cloud storage and streamlined editing workflows now mean coaches can review film on the court, on the bus or right after practice. What once took hours of manual work is now available in seconds, freeing staffs to focus on game prep, player development or even reclaiming time off the court for family or other priorities. 

Managing workflow overload

One theme that resonated across the panel: workflow overload. Coaches and coordinators juggle multiple platforms, redundant tools and varying preferences among staff.

Between managing multiple platforms, handling last-minute requests from coaches, and trying to keep players supplied with the film and stats they need, efficiency becomes both the goal and the challenge.

Add in the fact that “efficiency” can mean something different to every coach or staff member, and it’s easy to see why so much of the role comes down to communication, flexibility and problem-solving on the fly.

The solution, according to the panelists, is to consolidate and streamline. Instead of using a patchwork of tools for scouting, analytics, and video, a single, integrated platform can be a game-changer. This creates a more efficient process, not just for the video coordinator, but for the entire staff.

" I'm trying to get everyone to use Instat and make my life easier and just take the middleman out of things,” said Kinzer. “It's just a more efficient process. But I think it’s just [about] finding your way to what's efficient for you and what your coaches are looking for.” 

Beyond streamlining operations for video staff, Instat gives coaches direct access to data and film so they can prep on their own schedule and focus on what matters most for game planning.

Building staff buy-in and adoption

Basketball technology is only as powerful as the people who use it. For coaching staffs, that means two things: onboarding new staff members quickly and creating consistent outputs even when workflows differ. 

The panel pointed to hands-on implementation support and self-driven learning as critical to ramping up GAs and new staff.

"My big thing is empowering other people," Kinzer said. "I'm big into getting all of our managers trained in Hudl Academy, giving people empowerment, getting our coaches to a place where they can be self-sufficient."

As far as validating the importance of video and data, Kinzer said it comes down to understanding your audience. “It goes back to the communication piece and efficiency of knowing what your coaches want,” he said. “Not doing too much outside of what's needed. You can make some really cool outcome windows, like we can code every shot in June, but are we going to use those stats?”

To White, it’s all about how you present it. “ You have to do a really good job of being able to articulate the same concept to a PhD and a kindergartner,” he said. 

“ It's really cool if you know a bunch of different things, but if you can't articulate it clearly and effectively to your coaching staff, especially for someone who might be a little bit more trepidatious about some of the advanced analytics stuff, then you're really not helping anybody.” 

His philosophy with players follows the same principle: keep it clear and keep it useful. “It has to be an empowering thing that makes them feel like they’re getting better, that they’re adding more value, that it might help them play more minutes,” he said. 

“So it needs to be a continuing and ongoing conversation where you’re not just talking about it at the beginning of the year or once the season is over, you’re helping them figure out what they need to get better at. And I think it needs to be an ongoing discussion where you have good relationships with both your coaches and your players.”

Meeting players where they are

Even with the best technology, the work is meaningless if players don't buy in. With today's shorter attention spans, coaches shared how they’ve adapted:

Keep it short and to the point: The days of 40-minute film sessions are over. “We have a TV on the court,” said Kinzer. “We'll take film out there, watch four or five clips in a summer workout just on the court and it's quick. We're not going back and forth from the film room to the court.”

Accessibility is key: The most effective video is the one players can access on their own time. Pollard emphasized the importance of making sure every game and practice is available on Hudl, stressing that he's "at least putting the video out there for our players." 

Make it empowering: Rather than using video just as a tool to correct, the best coaches also use it to build players up. "[Video] has to be an empowering thing that makes them feel like they're getting better," said White. 

Build accountability: “One thing we’ve started doing is quizzing our guys pre-game,” said Pollard. “We’ll put a player personnel slide up and ask, ‘Tell me about this guy.’ It’s on them to make sure they’ve read the scout and know who they’re guarding.” 

For White, this approach builds accountability and helps coaches focus on what really matters. “You don’t want a kid on the floor thinking too hard—you want them reacting and playing free,” he said. “For our coaches, it's helped us be more concise and more considerate of the amount of information that a player needs to be retaining.”