Performance Efficiency Rating for basketball.

Success in basketball depends on the execution of fundamentals: performing the essential offensive and defensive skills at a high level.

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Basketball coaches would agree with the saying that, "It is extraordinary execution, not execution of the extraordinary," that is the best approach for a consistent team effort. The challenge is to find a way to monitor the required fundamentals, rate the quality of the execution, and provide the feedback that will enable the players to continue to improve their performance.

The Performance Efficiency Rating System can be used effectively for both games and scrimmages to help players improve their overall play.

The first step in establishing such a system is to break down the game into essential offensive and defensive components. The coach must select the fundamentals that will contribute directly to successful team play.

He can adjust the point total for each component based on his/her belief in the importance of each aspect.

By raising the value of drawing a charge from +2 per charge to +3, a coach can increase the importance of this fundamental to team success and make it serve as an incentive for the player to improve performance.

Players often receive feedback for offensive performance by checking the scorebook after reading about it in the morning newspaper.

Unfortunately, players receive less comprehensive information on defensive performance. The Performance Efficiency Rating System can provide the numerical rating for both offensive and defensive performance.

The PERS provides numerical ratings (qualitative, plus/minus values) for both defensive and offensive performance. Players become aware of the contributions of the many fundamentals to winning basketball and this new consciousness can lead to improved performance.

Once these fundamentals are chosen for evaluation, the ability of each player to perform them are observed and recorded throughout the game or scrimmage. The appropriate plus/minus value is assigned to each fundamental and a total performance rating is achieved for each column by multiplying the appropriate plus/minus value number times the players' statistical output.

The resulting totals for each column are then combined for a final Performance Efficiency Rating for each player.

The performance components to be rated and the plus/minus values assigned each fundamental are listed below:

OFFENSIVE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS:

1. Field Goals Attempted--shots taken from the field (-.75 for each FGA)

2. Field Goals Made (+2 for each FGM).

3. Free Throws Attempted (-.75 for each FTA).

4. Free Throws Made (+1 for each FTM).

5. Offensive Rebounds (+1.5 for each OR).

6. Assists (+1 for each pass made to a teammate leading directly to the basket--A).

DEFENSIVE FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS:

1. Points scored by man--points scored by the player being guarded by each defender while playing man to man defense (-.5 points taken away for each 2 points given up (PSM)).

2. Defensive Rebounds (+1 for each DR).

3. Charges Drawn (+2 for each charge drawn by a defender (CD)).

4. Deflections Leading to a Steal (+1 for DLS).

5. Deflections with NO GAIN of possession. (players awarded +.5 for each deflection on defense, ball is touched without change of possession (D)).

Other Aspects of the efficiency performance chart to be evaluated include: Steals (+1), blocked shots (+1), and personal fouls (-1 for 3rd foul in first half, -1 for each of 4th and 5th fouls).

The statistics used to complete the efficiency chart can come from several sources. Some statistics (FGA, FG, FTA, FT) are found in the official scorebook. Other components (deflections, personal fouls, charges drawn) can be kept by an assistant coach while a manager can be responsible for the remaining aspects.

Fig. 1 illustrates the offensive and defensive components of performance to be evaluated and the value assigned each aspect. A coach can increase the value for a particular area to increase its importance to overall performance.

In conclusion, a system for charting and providing feedback for basketball games or scrimmages has been presented. The procedures include assigning specific plus/minus values to essential components of successful basketball play. A figure for overall performance can be calculated for each player. Players soon learn that a winning basketball team must do more than score points.

By Dr. Dick Taylor, Director, Athletic Coaching Education Program, Clarion (PA) University

        OFFENSIVE COMPONENTS OF PEFFORMANCE
                                            Free Throws      Free Throws
        Field Goals (FGA)  Field Goals      (FTA) Attempted  Made (FTM)
Player  Attempted (-.75)   Made (FGM) (+2)  (-.75)           (+1)

Smith    5                  4                5                4
        -3.75              +8               -3.75            +4

        OFFENSIVE COMPONENTS OF PEFFORMANCE
        Assists   Offensive Rebounds  Turnovers    Points Scored by Man
Player  (A) (+1)  (OB) (+1.5)         (TO) (-1.5)  (PSBM) (-.5 for 2)

Smith    3         6                   4           12
        +3        +9                  -6           -6

        DEFENSIVE COMPONENTS OF PERFORMANCE
                                           Deflections  Deflections--
        Defensive Rebounds  Charges Drawn  to Steals    no Possession
Player  (DR) (+1)           (CD) (+2)      (DS) (+1)    (D) (+.5)

Smith    4                   2              3           2
        +4                  +4             +3           +1

        DEFENSIVE COMPONENTS OF PERFORMANCE              TOTAL SCORE
                                       Personal Fouls
        Blocked    Steals  Jump Balls  (PF) -1 for 3rd   Performance
        Shots      (S)     Forced      in First Half -1  Efficiency
Player  (BS) (+1)  (+1)    (JBF) (+1)  for 4 and 5       Rating

Smith    1           1     0
        +1          +1     0           -2                +16.50

*TOTAL VALUE OF PERFORMANCE RATING COMPONENTS
*SMITH PERFORMANCE EFFICIENCY RATING