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The Utah Jazz opened the first Shoot 360 training facility in the greater Salt Lake area this past weekend, in a campaign to help develop youth basketball players through artificial intelligence and real-time data tracking.
Located in Lehi, Utah about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, the high-tech facility lets players rotate through interactive stations and skill cages that provide automated audio and visual instruction about their shot mechanics, ballhandling and passing. Real-time feedback is relayed via AI to a player’s mobile app.
Shoot 360’s technology measures analytics such as shot arc, shooting percentage, left/right differentials and tips on how to improve shot accuracy. The facility’s skill cages are equipped with virtual trainers who analyze a player’s ballhandling and passing metrics with automated moving targets. The experience can also be gamified through shooting contests against participants from other locations.
Shoot 360 technology was designed to democratize basketball analytics to a wider audience, similar to a new smart basketball hoop, called Huupe, which also leans on AI for automated feedback and coaching. In April 2021, Shoot 360 raised a $2.25 million Series B funding round that included investments from basketball stars such as Trae Young and Sue Bird. Other players to invest in the company are Jamal Crawford, Thad Young and Breanna Stewart.
"The [Shoot 360] technology was so far advanced," Crawford told SportTechie in July 2020. "For example, you could go to one of the shooting cages and do a workout, and they’ll tell you like, ‘Crossover, step back, hesitation, pull up.’ You do it, and they draw it for you exactly."
Jazz coaches and executives were present for the debut of the Lehi facility on Saturday, Nov. 5, and plan to open two future Shoot 360 youth locations in Kaysville, Utah and Salt Lake County. Shoot 360 also has facilities in Denver, Irvine, Calif., Walnut Creek, Calif., Memphis, Pittsburgh and Charlotte, among others.
Gloss