The Analytics Tool That Studies Basketball Plays
You’ve probably heard of the movie Moneyball. The one where Brad Pitt plays the Oakland Athletics manager obsessed with statistics.
If you run in baseball circles, you’ll also know that Moneyball tells the true story of manager Billy Beane and Ivy league grad Peter Brand. The two joined forces to bring baseball statistics to places never before imagined. They called their in-depth analysis, Sabermetrics.
Ever since Beane and Brand, baseball guys have kept the tradition alive and gone completely stat crazy. It makes sense, seeing as how baseball already kept detailed statistics surrounding every minor detail of the game.
Baseball has undoubtedly become the game of stats, but where does that leave everyone else?
Well, surprisingly not that far behind. Basketball especially is challenging baseball for the title of stat king.
How, you ask? Enter Vasu Kulkarni and his business, Krossover. From basketball plays to stats, Krossover has it all. There isn’t another basketball tool like it.
Krossover History
Vasu Kulkarni grew up obsessed with basketball. As a child, he spent the entirety of his time tearing it up across basketball courts in Bangalore, India.
Endless crossovers and layups eventually lead him to the University of Pennsylvania’s basketball program. The only problem, basketball in America is very different from India.
Kulkarni spent his University of Pennsylvania days riding the bench, well within earshot of the coaches’ constant chatter.
All the talk of stats and basketball plays eventually gave Kulkarni the idea to invent a program that could break down basketball like never before.
Krossover, was officially born.
After finally getting funded by a few Wall Street sports fanatics, Krossover hit its first roadblock.
Coaches weren’t interested in the program. The idea that there was anything more to game film than mere game film, hadn’t taken hold yet.
Though around 50 customers (mostly high school coaches) did sign up, the program chugged off to a paltry start.
Slowly, however, the wheels started turning, and Krossover stands today as a $10 million dollar per year business, with over 10,000 customers.
You know the University of Kentucky basketball program, right? Oh, and the Cleveland Cavaliers? Both Krossover users.
The program has also expanded into other sports. Lacrosse, volleyball, and football are on the table, while soccer support launches sometime later this year.
What makes Krossover such a hit? Well, that takes a little explaining.
Basketball Plays, For Days
Krossover allows users to upload any basketball game film they want. Your own teams, your rivals, that team from across town that always goes undefeated; any team is fair game.
The tool takes your footage, runs it past a 700-member Krossover index team, then through some algorithms, and finally spits out the mother of all basketball stats sheets.
Coaches and players can filter through their clips (or entire games) based on certain statistics.
For instance, you can search by passes, shots, dunks, rebounds, player name, missed shots, shot location, etc. We could keep this list up for just about every statistic Krossover offers.
Further, all of these stats are available within 12-48 hours. Does your team have back to back games coming up? You can know your flaws before playing the second game.
The amount of data you can analysis over short periods of time is amazing to anyone familiar with traditional game film.
If you’ve ever wanted to know the ins and outs of specific basketball plays, days after they happened, then Krossover is your tool.
The program offers stats so detailed, that you’ll have player-by-player breakdowns of missed shots based on the opposition’s defensive strategy.
If that’s still not enough, you can also get team-wide breakdowns. Run through some scrimmage film and you could have preseason guidelines to improve your team chemistry.
The Evolution of Stats
Kulkarni started Krossover at perhaps the best possible time. Stats in sports are already established, and the tech world is growing rapidly.
The introduction of automated computer programs to break down things like say, basketball plays, into tangible data is changing sports.
We’re fast approaching an era where teams aren’t selected because of in-person performances, but rather the stats that drive the end results.
Krossover makes it possible to know how many shots your point guard hit from the key during the first quarter, and who was passing him (or her) the ball.
If two different people equally assisted the point guard, you can go further and find out who provided him (or her) with the most passes that resulted in missed shots.
The incredible level of detail makes it possible to pick teams that you know will turn in the best performances night in and night out.
What’s more, Krossover also opens the avenue for superior recruiting practices.
College and professional level coaches have access to a player’s entire career. They can know his (or her) strengths and weaknesses with a few button clicks.
Coaches can also track player progress. Improved rebounding stats, shooting stats, etc.
Hand selecting someone that could excel in your program becomes much easier if you can watch all of their basketball plays accompanied by detailed statistical breakdowns.
Summing It All Up
In a nutshell, Krossover is doing for basketball what Billy Beane and company did for baseball. Though with basketball plays footage, Krossover is taking it even a step further.
We think that the program will inevitably drive forward player and team development.
Both coaches and players can identify their game weaknesses through on-demand footage accompanied by unrivaled statistical analysis.
As a basketball fan, there’s nothing to dislike about Mr. Kulkarni’s company. Driving the game forward is good for everyone involved.
Will Krossover, and basketball stats in general, reach the notoriety that Billy Beane and the A’s achieved?
Well, probably not. Kulkarni’s story is pretty good, but until Krossover takes some struggling team to a title, it probably won’t receive the love it deserves.
Though one thing is for certain. If you’re a player or coach, buy Krossover. Your skill set and team will thank you later.