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Show 16 | MyWeberMedia.com | April 18, 2019 ››CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 good shot, but we didn’t really have the numbers to say what a good shot was,” Duft said. “Now we know that some shots are better than other shots. Now we know specifically the shots we want to take on offense and the ones we want to take away on defense.” While 3-pointers are all the rage nowadays, getting a shot at the basket is still more valuable because it is made at such a high rate – especially if attempted by a big man. This type of data isn’t tracked at the college level, but as a reference, but both Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors of the Utah Jazz are finishing above 74 percent when attempting a shot within 3-feet of the basket. “One of the least efficient shots in basketball is the post-up, so we’ve worked with bigs like Zach Braxton to find more efficient ways to get them involved. One way is to put them into the pick and roll and get them dunks and shots at the basket by being the roll man,” Duft said. Weber State now focuses their scouting efforts on prospects that match this analytic profile. Coaches want guards who are capable shooters with the ability to get to the basket and forwards and centers who can either stretch the floor by shooting threes or who are strong rollers to the basket. When Zach Braxton was recruited out of high school, he was recruited by Weber State specifically because he was a high efficiency player. Braxton said he loves being able to back a player down and trying to score on his defender with a variety of post moves, but he realized that that is not a high percentage shot. “I’ve talked to Coach Rahe, and the best ways I’ve scored in the last two seasons has been scoring out of the pick and roll and playing in the short corner to get dump-off passes for easy dunks,” Braxton recalled. He explained that short corner is also called “The Gutter,” and it allowed him to be one of the leaders in the Big Sky for made dunks in a season. As a Weber State guard drives to the basket and Braxton’s defender slides over to provide defensive help, he would make himself available for easy shots at the basket. One of the surprising ways Weber State has tried to improve through the use of analytics has been on the defensive side of the ball. Just like there are smart shots to take on offense, there are smart shots to MADISON OSBORN ANDERSON | The Signpost “THE USE OF ANALYTICS HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE PREDOMINANT IN BASKETBALL. THE CONCEPT IS TO TAKE EMOTIONS OUT OF THE GAME AND TO FOCUS ON WHAT THE NUMBERS AND MATH ARE SAYING ABOUT HOW IT SHOULD BE PLAYED. “ |