As you probably already figured out, I am extremely interested in the video aspect of coaching and scouting.  In my opinion, it is always interesting to see how teams and coaching staffs use video to their advantage and how they try to get their players to use video as well.  So when I came across Texas A&M and their video set up, I had to learn more.  At Texas A&M, they have personal Macs for every player set up in their locker room:

These computers are in every player’s locker, and they can sit down and use them whenever they want.  My hunt for more information of this set up lead me to getting in contact with Stephen Gentry, the Director of Basketball Operations at Texas A&M.  He was kind enough to answer a few questions that I had:

—

How does the system work? Is the coaching staff uploading the same videos onto all the computers, or do they create specialized videos for each player? Or both?

Opponent individual games, A&M games and individual projects are all uploaded for viewing. You want the players to have access to games in their entirety but you also want to direct them in a certain direction and make sure they are getting the “right” information. The A&M games are broken down so that each player can watch their individual offensive actions from a particular game in a short amount of time. The games are also broken down by play call so players can go back and review certain plays as well.

Individualized edits are created throughout the year in an effort to teach. These edits can range from being simple like all assists and turnovers or something more subjective like the quality of each bigs post touches. These edits are focused on teaching and reinforcing the principles we talk about on the court.
In preparation for each game a “personnel edit” is put together on the opponents top 8-9 players. Players can then watch the edit on their own to get a feel for the tendencies of the players they will be guarding.

As coaches you want to believe that players will sit down and watch hours upon hours of film at one sitting but that just isn’t the case nor is it realistic. With today’s athlete you have to get across your teaching/scouting points in a short amount of time and have them walking away with knowledge that they can apply directly on the court. This system is designed to do that. We don’t want to bog down the players with loads of information that doesn’t end up getting applied. We want to give the right amount of information so the players feel prepared and confident heading into each game.

What was the players initial reactions to the computers? Did they know how/want to use them right away, or did they need to get nudged into using them?

The system was so unique and fresh that it definitely struck the curiosity of the players and this curiosity eventually got them to buy in. We also had a great group of seniors (Donald Sloan, Derrick Roland and Bryan Davis) who prepared to win for each game. They bought into the system and into preparing for opponents and the younger guys fell in line.

In my opinion, the biggest benefit of something like this is you can give players specific reports in individal settings rather than in a group setting where some players may zone out (for example if you are talking about a bigs’ tendencies, the guards might not pay attention). Did you notice that it is easier to teach/show individual scouting aspects to your guys with this system?

Definitely. Players enjoy watching film of themselves. Once you show a player that you are willing to put in the time on a particular aspect of their game then they meet you half way and buy in. You can’t get cookie cutter with scouting and teaching. Each player is different as a player and even different in the way they may learn. You have to keep that in mind.

Players also sometimes feel threatened in group environments and may not have the opportunity to ask real questions. Having this platform opens up that opportunity.

When are the players using this the most? After practice? On off days? Right before the games?

Before practice and off days are when they use it the most. Very rarely do they watch right before the game. Players are too busy right before getting physically and mentally ready. They already have the necessary information and when it comes to game day we want them to just play.

I assume you guys still watch tape as a team, does that happen less now that the players have computers in their lockers and have access to tape at all times?

We watch film just as much and probably even more since we have had the system in place. This system does not replace any team film sessions. It simply adds to it. I think it also strengthens the productivity of team film sessions because players are seeing the film for atleast the 2nd time. Because they have watched the film themselves already, heading into team film sessions they a lot of times already have questions based on what they saw during the first viewing.

With all this information at the players’ fingertips, are you worried about information overload and players thinking too much on the court rather than playing?

That’s a concern and there definitely is a required balance. It is sometimes tough as a coach or scout to put in hours of watching film and not want to pass along loads and loads of information that validates all your hard work. However, at the end of the day you have to always keep in mind what is best for the player and what gets them ready to compete at the highest possible level. To that end the scouting process doesn’t need to be about passing along all of the loads of information and minutia that you have gained through film watching but rather passing along 4-5 main points that are backed up and supported by all of the information you gathered through the process.

Do you think NBA players can benefit from something like this?

Yes and I think a system like this (perhaps with mobile Ipad’s instead of locked in IMac’s) makes even more sense for the NBA level. NBA players are always on the go and they don’t have a lot of time to sit down and really analyze each and every game. For those games that a staff can’t evaluate and watch infront of the team this system would allow for players to learn/scout in an efficient manner. NBA coaches also have to get creative about how they watch film with players. From the staff members I have spoken with a lot of times the film they watch is in an informal setting (bus ride, plane ride, hotel lobby, training table etc) so you have to have a system that is fully mobile and can reach certain points of emphasis in a short amount of time.

The NBA season is so long that if you aren’t learning throughout the year by the end of the season you will be passed up. You simply have to find the time to watch and learn from the film throughout the season.