A 3-year Analysis of Game Demands in Women’s Division I College Basketball

Abstract

Women’s division I college basketball is demanding, thus non-contact injury rates are high, and key performance markers such as lower body power may decline at the end of the season due to high chronic training stress. Quantifying and monitoring athlete training loads is fundamental to managing injury risk, explaining acute changes in performance, increasing understanding of training responses, and planning and modifying training. Wearable devices using GPS and accelerometry (i.e., Catapult® OptimEye S5) provide new opportunities for advancing sport science in basketball. To date, no research has examined the game demands of women’s division I college basketball using Catapult® technology. PURPOSE: To quantify the game demands of 6 women’s basketball players from a top Division I program (.781% win percentage) over a 3-year period, and to compare the positional differences of guards and posts during regular- and post-season games, and wins versus losses. METHODS: Six female athletes (20.35 + 1.6 yrs) wore Catapult S5® units in a garment resembling a sports bra during 89% of practices and games (Catapult Sports, Melbourne, Australia). Data were collected in real-time. Data, including Player Load (PL), Player Load per minute (PL/min), Inertial Movement Analysis (IMA), and Jumps (volume and intensity), were analyzed using Catapult OpenField Software (Version 1.14.1+). RESULTS: For the 3-year period, average player load ranged from 613-642, and it increased each year. This indicates that athletes were able to continue to increase their average player load each season. Average player load and average player load per minute was higher for wins than for losses. High IMA was similar for wins and losses. When data were examined by player position, guards accumulated higher average player loads, and higher average player loads per minute than posts. Differences in IMA by player position were inconsistent from year to year. CONCLUSIONS: Wearable devices such as Catapult ® provide important workload information that can be used to assess and guide player practice and game demands, including differences by player position. Future research should examine how player load relates to specific aspects of game performance (FT %, FG%) and to injury prevention.