Company Background
Larry Hughes Basketball Academy
Larry Hughes Basketball Academy (LHBA), located in St. Louis, Missouri, is among the first of its kind to establish a truly magnificent basketball training facility which utilizes state-of-the-art technology to help youth athletes excel in basketball.
Larry Hughes was known for exceptional defense and versatility on the court during his NBA career. After his retirement, Hughes aspired to create a basketball facility fundamentally built to develop peak performers both on and off the court.
In 2014, he opened his own youth basketball clinic in his hometown, St. Louis, MO. That clinic evolved into what we know today as the Larry Hughes Basketball Academy. Hughes wanted to integrate the same tracking technology the NBA uses at their training facilities with his own training program here in St. Louis. He knew that harnessing the power of technology to maximize the learning potential for the children in his program would open up a world of possible development opportunities.
Today, LHBA is more than your standard basketball courts. It is the premiere basketball training facility in the region. The technology can accurately track up to 50 players and monitor every shot on the court. By reverse engineering every shot, the system can analyze player performance metrics beyond what the naked eye can detect.
The tracking system offers crucial data analytics on every shot like shot location, arch trajectory, entry point, and much more. Coaches can use this insight to customize their coaching strategy for each individual player.
The Challenge
Track Every Player and Shot with Precision
TSI was tasked with working closely alongside Kinexon and RSPCT to bridge the two tracking systems together. Kinexon’s player tracking system pinpoints up to 50 athletes on the two-court floor through a fob. RSPCT’s shot tracking technology reverse engineers the final seconds of every shot to analyze every aspect of the shot.
TSI needed to figure out how to integrate the systems together so they could communicate across platforms and accurately attribute every shot to the shooter’s profile. The combination of these systems provides a truly insightful look into their performance metrics.
Hughes also wanted to have a dribbling simulator that mimics a videogame. The goal was to have dribbling drills recorded and shown on an enclosed display and a camera to record players as they try to keep up with the instruction video in real time.
The Solution
Bridge Two Tracking System Platforms Together
TSI’s first step in providing a seamless technology solution was to design a fully managed network system which could handle the communication for the Kinexon and RSPCT systems while also allowing for AV system control and building Internet usage.
TSI selected Ubiquiti networking hardware for the building network infrastructure. The Ubiquiti gateway, network switches, and access points allowed TSI to set up separate Virtual LANs (VLAN) and wireless networks with unique SSIDs all while utilizing a single network system. These features allowed the ability to provide staff and guests with high performing Internet access while protecting the bandwidth required by Kinexon and RSPCT.
Thanks to the strategic planning and coordination with Kinexon and RSPCT, TSI was able to install a networking infrastructure that was fully tested, certified, and configured in advance, which shortened the installation and commissioning time required by the manufacturers.
The final step was to develop an audiovisual system that would allow the shot and player statistics from Kinexon and RSPCT to be displayed in real time through multiple zones. TSI installed six ceiling-mounted displays near selected baskets, which allow for the viewing of real time player and shot information for that basket. Display Shield TV enclosures from Protective Enclosures Company were used to protect the displays at the baskets.
TSI also utilized TV Shield enclosures from Protective Enclosure Company for the displays placed at the dribbling simulator to protect the displays and systems from stray basketballs. A laser light source projector from Panasonic was installed in a Chief projector enclosure over the gym floor, which allows the LHBA team to display weekly and daily session statistics as well as training materials to larger camps and special events. The AV system is controlled from a central user-friendly interface from Crestron Control Systems.
