Player Profiling and Monitoring in Basketball: A Delphi Study of the Most Important Non-Game Performance Indicators from the Perspective of Elite Athlete Coaches

Selection-Dependent Differences in Youth Elite Basketball Players' Relative Age, Maturation-Related Characteristics, and Motor Performance

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of players' relative age, maturation-related characteristics, and motor performance tests on two different stages of talent selection (regional and national level) in youth elite basketball. Methods: Relative age, maturation-related variables (height, weight, maturity offset, maturity timing) and motor performance (Countermovement jump, Standing long jump, Modified agility T-test, Linear sprint 20 m) of N = 68 male youth basketball players (Mage = 14.39 ± 0.28 years) were assessed during the initial selection tournament for the German U15 national team. Pre-selection biases regarding relative age and maturity timing on the regional level were investigated utilizing one-sample t-tests. Differences in relative age, maturation-related characteristics and motor performance between players selected (n = 27) and non-selected (n = 41) for the youth national team were examined via independent samples' t-tests and logistic regression analyses. Results: Strong pre-selection biases toward early-born and early-maturing players were confirmed on the regional level. Significant advantages in height and weight and higher values in maturity offset and maturity timing were found for selected players. Among the motor variables, only Countermovement jump performance was significantly better in selected players. When controlling for relative age and biological maturation regression models including motor performance variables did not significantly discriminate players' selection status. Conclusion: Coaches working in national, but also preceding selection stages (regional and club level) should raise their awareness to relative age and biological maturation when evaluating players' potential and current (motor) performance.

Developing guidelines for selection-deselection in high performance sport for athletes, coaches, and organisations: A delphi study

The process of athlete selection and deselection in sport involves not only athletes but also coaches, managers, performance directors, talent pathway coordinators and the wider organisation. Athlete selection and deselection can be viewed as the opposite sides of the same coin in that the process may be the same for all athletes but the outcome is very different. The outcome of this process can evoke extremely powerful emotions ranging from elevation to devastation. While selection and deselection are part of competitive sport regardless of type, level, gender or age, research is scarce. Employing the Delphi method, a total of 20 participants comprised the expert panel (coaches, athletes and other key personnel in high performance) from various sports, and ages ranged from 21 to 59 years old. Following three rounds, 60 items reached the pre-determined consensus level of 75%. The 60 items were then further content analysed and grouped with respect to the three key stakeholders: athlete (14), coach (21) and organisation (25). Within each of these categories, subcategories emerged: personal, interpersonal, procedural, educational, supportive, communicative and reviewing behaviours and actions that athletes, coaches and organisations can take to ease the navigation, apply consistency and establish a common ground during this challenging situation.

Physical Fitness as a Predictor of Performance during Competition in Professional Women's Basketball Players

The evaluation of physical fitness in team sports is enjoying greater importance in the training of professional teams. The objectives of this research were to characterize physical fitness and game indicators based on the game position. This is an empirical study, with a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional methodology. In addition, different relationships between the level of physical fitness and the game indicators during the competition were determined. Finally, a predictive analysis of the selected variables was carried out in order to know the importance of the variables in the performance and at what time of the season they had the greatest impact. For this, a professional female basketball team (n = 12) with a mean age of 25.25 ± 7.617 years, height 178.25 ± 9.206 cm and a body mass of 72.33 ± 11.657 kg was analyzed. Each player was equipped with a WIMUPRO inertial device, and all competition statistics were analyzed. The results obtained show that there were no differences among all the skills evaluated and game indicators depending on the game position. Likewise, a relationship was determined between the level of physical fitness and the technical-tactical contribution, being different between different times of the season. Moreover, physical fitness only predicted the player's final performance in the competition for female player centers in the first and second rounds of the championship, and for forwards in the first round. Four physical-physiological profiles with contributions to the different ones during the competition were also determined. Finally, three groups of female players by playing position were identified according to their sport performance, namely PIR, high, medium and low ratings, associated with physical performances. In all groups, there were significant differences between playing positions, PIR and physical performances.

Performance Differences in Male Youth Basketball Players According to Selection Status and Playing Position: An Evaluation of the Basketball Learning and Performance Assessment Instrument

The Basketball Learning and Performance Assessment Instrument (BALPAI) has been initially developed and evaluated to assess the performance of students or youth basketball players on the entry level. As it is currently the only observational instrument that allows an overall assessment of players’ in-game performance, it might represent a valuable tool for talent identification and development purposes. To investigate this potential field of application, this study aimed to evaluate the BALPAI regarding reliability and diagnostic validity when assessing youth basketball players within a competitive setting. The study sample comprised N = 54 male youth players (M_age = 14.36 ± 0.33 years) of five regional selection teams (Point Guards, PG: n = 19; Shooting Guards and Small Forwards, SG/SF: n = 21; and Power Forwards and Centers, PF/C: n = 14) that competed at the annual U15 national selection tournament of the German Basketball Federation (n = 24 selected; n = 30 non-selected). A total of 1997 ball-bound actions from five games were evaluated with BALPAI. The inter-rater reliability was assessed for technical execution, decision making, and final efficacy. The diagnostic validity of the instrument was examined via mean group comparisons of the players’ offensive game involvement and performance regarding both selection-dependent and position-dependent differences. The inter-rater reliability was confirmed for all performance-related components (κ_adj ≥ 0.51) while diagnostic validity was established only for specific the BALPAI variables. The selection-dependent analysis demonstrated higher offensive game involvement of selected players in all categories (p < 0.05, 0.27 ≤ Φ ≤ 0.40) as well as better performance in shooting and receiving (p < 0.05, 0.23 ≤ Φ ≤ 0.24). Within the positional groups, the strongest effects were demonstrated among PG (p < 0.05, 0.46 ≤ Φ ≤ 0.60). The position-dependent analysis revealed that PG are more involved in total ball-bound actions (p < 0.05; 0.34 ≤ Φ ≤ 0.53), passing (p < 0.001; 0.55 ≤ Φ ≤ 0.67), and dribbling (p < 0.05, 0.45 ≤ Φ ≤ 0.69) compared to players in other positions. Further differences between players according to selection status and playing position were not detected. The results of this evaluation indicate that the instrument, in its current form, is not yet applicable in competitive youth basketball. The findings highlight the importance of optimizing BALPAI for reliable and valid performance assessments in this context. Future studies should investigate the application of stricter and position-specific criteria to use the observational tool for talent identification and development purposes.