Basketball, like many other sports, has increasingly become driven by numbers.
The traditional box score is no longer sufficient. Advanced metrics, which evaluate nearly every aspect of the game, are now used for game preparation, roster building, player development, and more. In college basketball, websites like KenPom, EvanMiya, Bart Torvik, and Haslametrics have gained popularity among fans, coaches, and players.
Understanding these metrics is crucial, but it’s also important to communicate this data to players and explain the reasons behind on-court events to fully leverage advanced analytics. While numbers provide valuable insights, they must be interpreted by those with a keen understanding of the game.
The Gonzaga men’s basketball team excels at balancing this approach.
“As assistants, we delve deeply into [analytics],” Gonzaga assistant coach Jorge Sanz said. “But the message to Coach Few and especially the players is kept very simple. We don’t want them thinking about analytics during play; we want them to understand the rationale behind our coaching decisions.”
Sanz discussed how he communicates advanced analytics to Coach Few and the players, as well as other aspects of player development at Gonzaga, in a new episode of Gonzaga Nation.
