Loyola University Chicago, who have used Bepro for several years, decided to take a risk and give themselves a new challenge as they moved from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Atlantic 10 for the 2022 Fall Season.
Despite this step up in competition, the Ramblers came fourth out of 14 teams in their first year in the league, going unbeaten at home. In the knock out tournament they beat George Washington (home) and Dusquesne (away) to make it to the conference championship game, where they were unlucky to lose to ranked St. Louis University on penalties.
We caught up with Head Coach Graham Brennan to hear more about the team’s recent run and how technology continues to support and improve performances.
Please introduce yourself and your role with the team.
Graham Brennan, Associate Head Coach
What are the aims for the team, both on the pitch and for the student athletes?
The first aim is to win games. To achieve this as a team, we work hard on both sides of the ball. Ideally, we win the possession battle and can create more opportunities in the final third.
How does performance technology help achieve these aims?
The technology allows each of our players full access to their performances. Between the data and video components, each player has layers of data to use to analyze past performances and compare it to their individual goals and their role within the team concept. Bepro gives us data on ourselves and each of our opponents.
How does Bepro fit into your analysis workflow?
We will use the Bepro match highlight video at a minimum for a post game recap with the team. We will also sit down with individual players or positional groups to watch video or look at data from a game. We may use this information to review a particular topic we focus on going into the game.
How does Bepro support player development?
It is a great tool for each of our players to do additional individual work and analyze their performances. Players often come in with questions and sit down with the coaching staff for feedback.
How does having consistent data for several seasons help you?
Having the data over several seasons gives each individual the opportunity to track their progress and development over their time at Loyola. As a program, we can look at different time periods of our play to see positive and/or negatives that we might have in our play during that time.
How does Bepro help you work with your players and with the rest of the coaching staff?
Bepro saves the staff time having to cut video and break down data. The platform provides all that information which allows our players to meet with us individually for feedback.
How did Bepro help you with your recent conference success as you reached the Atlantic 10 Conference final?
Joining the A10 in the fall of 2022, this was the first time playing most of the teams. In the playoffs, we were able to use the data/video from our regular season games to create a game plan for each playoff match. We tailored our game plans to minimize some of the strengths these teams showed in the regular season. It allowed us to win a semifinal on the road to a team we had lost to during the regular season. We tied the conference final and lost on penalties to a team we lost to on the road during the regular season.
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We work with teams at all levels of sport, including several universities across the US.
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