In the modern era of basketball, preparation is everything. For the West Virginia Mountaineers, who have a short bench and rely heavily on six key players, film study is just as important as on-court training, and analytics may trump all.
New Mountaineers head coach Josh Ellert may not have as much experience as former head coach Bob Huggins, but he certainly brings a more modern approach to the game. A former video coordinator and avid consumer of analytics, Ellert's approach to preparation is very different from Haskins.
This week, Ellert has been focused on preparing for the game against SMU. With six days to prepare, he had plenty of time to study and analyze the video. However, with such a short bench, he must be careful not to overwork his players.
"For some players, it's more beneficial to study film," Eilert said, "It depends on basketball IQ." It depends on basketball IQ.
But it's not enough to just watch the footage over and over again. Ellert understands that today's athletes have short attention spans, and he needs to figure out how to keep their interest.
"Everyone learns differently," Ellert says." Some people learn on the floor, some people learn at the movies, some people learn by drawing plays. You have to figure out how each one works.
For the most part, Eilert's six or seven starters have high basketball IQs, and he can rely on film study to do what he does on the court.
Ellert is also a big proponent of analytics. He believes that analytics are a great tool for identifying a team's strengths and weaknesses. However, he also understands that analytics isn't everything. It needs to be customized to a team's specific needs.
"Overanalyzing equals paralysis," Eilert says." You have to trust your eyes. But when the data and analytics support your ideas, I think you get it."
Eilert's approach to preparedness is still evolving, but he believes it will help the Mountaineers succeed. He combines film study, analytics and his own instincts to get the team ready for every game.
