Useful Tools to Predict Future Performance? Analysis of Former Individually Prized Young Selected Male Basketball Players

Abstract

"Success in team sports foremostly depends on individual performance and the cooperation of the team members. We aimed to investigate the individual performance changes of youth awarded basketball players from youth to senior national team level. For this purpose we examined four game-related basketball statistics: Minutes Played (MP), Points Scored (PS), Rebounds (REB), and Assists (AST) both in youth and senior level with regression analysis. We collected all the individually prized players of former youth European Championships available on the most reliable websites (N=323). We used descriptive statistical methods and also investigated correlation between their prized performance and their senior peak performance on national level (p<0.01). Our analysis showed that a larger amount of the previously awarded players became member of their senior national team (58%, n=188). 90.71% of the awarded players (n=293) were the first or second best scoring leader of their own team in their youth prime. We found moderate significant correlation between youth rebounds and senior rebounds, also youth assists and senior assists, but only weak correlation between youth and senior Minutes Played and Points Scored. From this aspect getting awards on youth level can boost an athlete’s career, but it doesn’t mean to reach the same peak when they are selected to the senior squads as time and age are dominant background variables, an extended analysis is needed in the future."