How Coach Rhonae Stodola and SportsVisio are Transforming Trinity Christian School’s Basketball Program with Data-Driven Insights

Rhonae Stodola is a veteran coach, training basketball, soccer, volleyball, and track teams for more than 30 years. Currently serving as Varsity Girls Basketball Coach and Fall/Winter Sports Athletic Director at Trinity Christian School, one parent’s SportsVisio recommendation is helping Stodola take Trinity’s basketball game to the next level.

Analyzing data quickly to deliver quality insights

Prior to SportsVisio, Stodola’s team managers (two high schoolers who always accompany the athletes) were capturing key stats on paper, including shots taken, shots made, steals, turnovers, rebounds, and more.

Important moments were missed in the manual effort. So, when Trinity’s principal received the SportsVisio suggestion and allocated funds toward it, the school’s coaches, athletes, and parents were thrilled by what the app quickly made possible—the ability to review highlights, work with tons of data distilled, and make performance improvements.

“I was very excited because stats are a vital part of personal coaching,” said Stodola. “SportsVisio has incredibly helpful support staff, and the app has been super easy to navigate.”

Team managers today focus on capturing game footage, and SportsVisio does the rest.

“Before, I would have certain players say, ‘I know I scored this,’ and when we compared that to the book, there’d be a discrepancy,” Stodola added. “Or I might know that one athlete had a certain number of turnovers yet see only two written down. Now, we can all go back and look at data on individual players and the entire team.

Accurate patterns and statistical trends elevate the game

In alleviating inaccuracies and capturing the complete data picture, patterns and trends become more visible and reliable.

“I would have all these papers for the middle of the season summary. Using the app makes it easier to see if a particular player is only shooting 10 percent and have a data-based discussion.”

Stodola credits SportsVisio with helping to make these coaching conversations more impactful.

“Giving and receiving feedback can be hard,” said Stodola. “But when we’re looking at data together, it removes emotion from the conversation. These are facts, so I have more credibility as a coach to say, ‘You’re turning the ball over ten times every game, what can we do to make that better?’”

The app also benefits the team collectively, encouraging players by seeing improvements against competitors year over year.

“We view and see this is how we played that team before, and maybe they’re still better than us, but I can confidently say we improved over last year when we played them. That’s a huge uplifting factor,” Stodola added.

Revel in and relive the best moments

According to Stodola, approximately two thirds of the team use the app today, and plans are to make SportsVisio a requirement in the year ahead.

“My athletes love the highlight reels,” said Stodola. “They love rewatching their gameplay, seeing where they made mistakes and where they did great job. They also love tracking stats like rebounds and assists. Because SportsVisio has provided such helpful, immediate feedback, I’m making use mandatory for my athletes going forward.”

And Stodola estimates 40 percent of parents are using the app based on conversations parents are having with her. SportsVisio makes it easy for parents to access highlights of their favorite players to discuss performance opportunities and/or share with family and friends.

Trinity Christian School has found so much value in using SportsVisio for basketball, they’re now getting started with volleyball.

 “I love what it does for an athlete, giving them their stats and ownership of their own progress. The app both encourages players in what they’re doing right, and it helps them get better. It helps me be a better coach,” Stodola concluded.

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