THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME………..OR IS THERE?

 

Basketball appears to be a simple game. Put the ball in the basket. But are certain stadiums in the State Basketball League more favourable to achieving this on what should be an even ‘playing field’ in essence? Yes, there are two baskets hanging ten feet from the floor at either end but are there stadiums that have more favourable conditions for a ball dropping through the twine, or venues where the ball seems more prone to rattle and spin out of the basket, as it’s half way down?

 

This had me wondering, which stadiums used by the SBL clubs around W.A statistically favour higher field goal percentages and which stadiums on paper appear to be tougher to score in?

 

As players and fans understand there are many factors that can influence team field goal percentage. A couple of these could include the obvious like individual scoring talent, team offensive strategy and tempo, and of course the quality of opposition played.

 

Then there are the very small dynamics that can affect the ball dropping through the hoop. Players talk about the ‘tightness’ of rims that can affect a ball both bouncing softly and rolling into the hoop, or the ball ricocheting more firmly and at high velocity off the rim. How tightly the rim is attached to the support of the backboard and the flexibility would vary across all basketball courts.

 

Other factors may include the depth perception of the basket from the back of the gym wall, as this varies somewhat from stadium to stadium. The court lighting and even the age of the backboard glass may affect lay ups and jump hooks close to the basket. Certain fibreglass may tend to make the ball skid off the board quicker, or at times make the ball ‘stick’ on the glass.

 

These factors may seem trivial, however may play a determining part in whether a field goal is successful or falls into the eager hands of a rebounder. In this weeks blog I have attempted to use some statistical information to find out the more ‘field goal friendly’ venues in our league.

 

The following table outlines firstly the data for all venues used in the WSBL and the combined field goal percentage of both the home and away teams have shot in that stadium so far in 2015. I have ranked each WSBL venue from highest combined field goal percentage to the lowest:

 

 

 

 

Now as all the teams have not met each other at least once, and the differences in number of games played varies, obviously the stats need to be taken with a pinch of salt. However these are the combined stats of every shot taken up to the start of Round 9 in 2015 at each WSBL venue. The table suggests that the Bendat Basketball Stadium and Curtin Stadium would at a brief glance be tougher to score in than the Eaton Recreation Centre or Ray Owen Recreation Centre in comparison.

 

I have applied the same process to determine the combined field goal percentage of every shot taken so far in the MSBL across the fourteen different venues used through Round 8 in 2015:

 

 

 

Again the same rules to reading this data would apply, the big difference from the WSBL table would be that of a slightly larger sample size, as the MSBL competition games run 8 minutes longer during a four quarter contest.

 

Now I am not implying at all that any team in the previous tables are either advantaged or disadvantaged by this data, in essence when two teams play they need to use the exact same equipment, obviously with the same ball, rims and backboards.

 

However I have dug a little deeper in the stats and used this to come up with some light-hearted awards. Again I stress these are just purely from statistical information and not intended to ruffle feathers! :

 

‘The Home Sweet Home Award’-This relates to the biggest difference between a teams home FG %, and their combined opponents FG % in their gym.

 

WSBL: Rockingham Flames

 

The Flames have shot 42.6 % FG on their home floor so far this year, and their opponents have combined to shoot just 29.7 % FG. That is a 12.7 % gap!

 

The surprising stat here is that in the whole league, just the Flames, Tigers, Wolves and Slammers have shot a better field goal percentage than their combined opponents so far in 2015.

 

MSBL: Geraldton Buccaneers

 

The Buccs shoot 43.8 % FG on their home floor and their opponents combined have shot just 34.4 % FG. The most impressive stat here is that Active West Stadium in Geraldton has had the lowest FG % combined in the league!!

 

 

‘The Glad Wrap Award’- This award relates to the home side that has the lowest combined FG % recorded by their combined opponents, therefore they may well have ‘glad wrapped’ the opponents rim!

 

WSBL: Willetton Tigers

 

The Tigers have held their combined opponents to just 29.3 % FG combined so far this season! Incredible numbers, no doubt aided by the best shot blocker in the league suiting up in navy blue!!

 

MSBL: Geraldton Buccaneers

 

As mention previously the Buccs have held all combined opponents to just 34.4 % FG.

 

The Magic is next closest having currently held opponents to a combined FG% of just 40.07 % at home. However on average the Magic give up 104 ppg to their opponents on average at hone this season!! The volume of shots going up at Mandurah must be huge!

 

The ‘Hula Hoop Award’- This award relates to combining both the MSBL combined home FG% with their WSBL counterparts combined home FG% to determine overall which SBL stadium has seen the ball shot more accurately up to Round 9, hence the basket appearing bigger than what it is! Please note that this award immediately rules out the Goldfields Giants and Geraldton Buccaneers for obvious reasons of not having a WSBL team.

 

Winner: Eaton Recreation Centre (South West Slammers)

 

There have been a total of 832 makes out of 1904 field goal attempts at the stadium, combined in the MSBL and WSBL. That is an overall 43.6 %

 

Warwick Leisure Centre was next closest with 42.9 %FG.

 

Make what you like with the data provided. I am merely trying to give a different perspective of our league and the little nuances that make basketball such a wonderful sport. Has it influenced a team’s win/loss record? If you compare it with the standings of each competition it would not appear so. There would be so much more to take in and numbers to crunch, and again any sport does not conform purely to numbers. It is a game played by humans after all!

 

My next blog will be completed in a fortnight and as we approach the midway point of the MSBL season, and I will be focusing on the ‘MVP Race’ as there are a number of candidates staking their case early. My updated ‘MSBL Pecking Order’ rankings will also be revealed.

 

Enjoy Round 9 of the SBL this weekend, there are so many tight encounters expected and it’s very rare that we see a top of the table clash in both competitions over the same weekend.

 

Good luck to all teams!

 

Matt Cecins

‘SBL Slam’: Airing Monday Evenings 9-10 pm on 98five Sonshine FM

http://www.98five.com/shows/other-shows/sblslam/

Follow Matt on Twitter @matt_cecins

Photo by Vic Wong