Nick Whitfield
August 17, 2020
NEW YORK – The America East Conference and Synergy Sports have announced a partnership focused on driving performance both on and off the basketball court.
AE teams will install cutting edge cameras into their arenas to automatically track, record and log game action. The coaching staff of each America East team will benefit from receiving fully tagged footage of games delivered directly into the Synergy system for detailed analysis. This will reduce the process from one day to two hours and coaches will therefore have more time for analysis and to act on the insight with players before the next game. Synergy Sports was selected following extensive market research and focus groups with AE stakeholders, with a proven track record of partnering with sports to help them grow.
Discussing the partnership, America East Commissioner, Amy Huchthausen said, “We are extremely excited about our partnership with Synergy Sports and the resources it will provide for our 18 basketball programs. Positioning our basketball programs for success is a priority in America East, as is aligning ourselves with partners utilizing state-of-the-art technology. This partnership checks off both of those boxes for us.”
Synergy Sports CEO, Mark Silver, said of the partnership, “The America East Conference is proving itself to be an innovator in the college basketball space. Our partnership will help drive the performance of America East teams, players, coaches and referees on and off the court. As the first conference to make use of this combined technology stack, America East is ahead of the game in integrating technology into their analytics and performance strategies.”
The increased efficiency and time saved for coaches has been a hit with the conference’s coaches already. On hearing about the announcement, UMBC men’s basketball head coach, Ryan Odom, said, “The America East’s partnership with Synergy Sports is a home run. The key to in-game success is in-practice preparation and this state-of-the-art camera system will make us more efficient before, during and after practice. This relationship will elevate every program in America East.”
The technology will also be employed to help players develop their game over the course of their collegiate career. With the cameras ‘always ready’, both practice sessions and games are just as easily recorded and analysed. Discussing the benefits for player development, Maine men’s basketball assistant coach and former member of the NBA Assistant Coaches’ Program, Edneisha Curry, said, “This partnership between the America East and Synergy Sports shows the commitment that the conference has to basketball. Coaches will have more time to build relationships and maximize their time with their players by removing time spent wasted on breaking down film. Instead, it allows coaches to make real-time adjustments, which is a great asset to player development.”
Echoing Coach Curry, Stony Brook head women’s basketball coach, Caroline McCombs, said “In the America East Conference, we all want to compete at the highest level and our partnership with Synergy Sports will give us that competitive advantage we are all striving for. It will elevate the teaching capabilities of our staff at Stony Brook, as well as every program in the conference.”
Collegiate sports are facing unprecedented challenges with the uncertainty that Covid-19 has brought to all sectors and countries. This partnership not only demonstrates a commitment to investing in innovation from the America East Conference but will potentially also provide help in returning to action.