7A- Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

1. The opportunity I would like to pursue is the online interactive basketball training I discussed in assignment 4A.

2. There is a lack of available basketball training for athletes who do not live near trainers or have access to a trainer during the coronavirus pandemic.

The who: Basketball players of all ages.

The what: They do not have access to basketball training.

The why: Location and/or the coronavirus pandemic

3. Testing the who: Everyone described has this need and potentially middle school and high school coaches who cannot currently coach.

Testing the what: Some beginner-level players have access to online training programs that could help them improve their game. However, most high-level players do not find these programs sufficient.

The why: Some athletes do not live close enough to a qualified basketball trainer. Others cannot afford basketball training. Currently, most players do not have access to training because of the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

4. I interviewed Omar Brown, Caleb Townsend, and Ethan Miller again while also interviewing J’Michael Plummer and Susan Dana. The first four mentioned are all high-level players who have or are currently playing at the high school level. Susan is the mother of a ten year old and thirteen year old boys who enjoy playing basketball. Each player I spoke with said they do not have access to a basketball trainer because of the gyms closed due to the pandemic. However, all but one of those players said before the pandemic began, they had access to a trainer they enjoyed working with. The other player said they did not have the funds to consistently train with someone. Susan has never had her boys trained by a trainer and does not believe that is a need of theirs because they play multiple sports and do not have the time. As mentioned in assignment 4A, many players are not currently satisfied with available online training programs because of the equipment needed, the simplicity of the content, or the lack of communication between them and the coach.

5. After the interviews, I still firmly believe this is a great opportunity. I believe that online personal training customized for the specific player(s) provides the most value to players. Prior to the interviews, I believed the best way to train players through some sort of online program would be best through Facetime or Zoom so the player could learn directly from the coach who could customize the workout according to the player’s access to equipment. Despite this being the most valuable form of training, it is also difficult to train many players at once so there would always be a limited supply. After the interview, I realized that multiple different curriculums could be developed to match different player types. If there was a separate program for each player type, all players that fit that mold would be able to purchase the program and use it as they please. This would allow the trainer to reach more players than before. Additionally, video reviews of players could be another form of training used for correction, such as with shooting form. This would also be more time efficient as the review could be done any time, with a response expected within 24 hours. Lastly, I was introduced to an application called HomeCourt AI during the interviews which tracks the specific details of a players shot such as makes and misses, ball angle, shot speed, ball rotation, and more. If there was a way for trainers to have live access to these stats to the players they train, they could easily correct and breakdown the mistakes players are making.