Men's Basketball | 1/9/2019 9:26:00 PM

MONTREAL -- PlaySight's Smart sports technology will soon be arriving on campus for McGill University's basketball and volleyball athletes and coaches to utilize in practices, matches and games.

PlaySight makes courts, fields, gyms and rinks Smart by installing high-performance AI software and connected camera technology. Once installed, SmartCourts provide several benefits to athletes, coaches, teams and fans, from automated HD broadcast live streaming and advanced coaching tools to instant replay video and a content platform to store, manage and share video, statistics and analytics.

McGill becomes the third U SPORTS program to add PlaySight, joining Acadia and the University of Saskatchewan. Other leading sports facilities in Canada are also equipped with SmartCourts, and PlaySight has been working with top young tennis players and Tennis Canada for the past three years. McGill has a very rich sporting tradition – in fact, the sport of basketball was invented by an alum of the school, Dr. James Naismith, in 1891.

"Pairing PlaySight with our expert coaching staff will enhance the skill acquisition of our student-athletes and allow them to maximize their potential," said Lisen Moore, manager of varsity sports at McGill. "We are also excited to realize the immediate benefits that this innovative tool will have on our teams' future performances."

Top athletes and teams around the sporting world are already training and playing with PlaySight, including the NBA's Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors, several leading NCAA basketball programs, including the University of North Carolina and Wake Forest University, and close to 70 other NCAA programs across tennis and other sports.

"PlaySight will allow our coaching staff to break down video in real time in both games and practices," said David DeAveiro, head coach of the men's basketball team. "We'll be able to analyze our players and systems like never before. In such a competitive field, gaining any edge is important. PlaySight will give us that."

He is one of three McGill head coaches to benefit from PlaySight technology. Several reoccurring themes come up – gaining a competitive advantage and capturing video seamlessly.

"PlaySight will be very helpful and increase the learning capacity," noted Martlets volleyball bench boss Rachele Beliveau. "We already use the video for games but have not used it for practice other than using an iPad. I do believe that it will really help our athletes."

Ryan Thorne, coach on the women's basketball program said that "PlaySight provides us with the opportunity to capture practice and game footage in the most efficient manner. In such a competitive conference, gaining any edge is important, and we hope to benefit from all that PlaySight has to offer."