Underpinning Performance Metrics Between a Winning and Losing Season in Division 1 Women\u27s Basketball

Abstract

Athletic success depends on several factors, including measurable factors such as training, sleep, and mental state. The women’s Basketball team at Sacred Heart University, USA, has been monitored over two consecutive seasons. The first season, 2021/22, was relatively unsuccessful, followed by a much-improved performance in the 2022/23 season, with a higher win percentage. Six metrics have been measured consistently: Training, sleep, mental state, game workload, jump analysis, and game performance. We compare those metrics over the two seasons, and our findings show the direct relationship between better training, better sleep, and mental health on the team\u27s performance as a group. We analyze the performance of the players common to both seasons and note the improvement of this group\u27s fitness over the two seasons (3.5% better sleep, 8% in recovery, 12% in stress, and 13% in jump height) even before the games started, and the effect of the new players on the team performance