@misc{10481/106586,
year = {2025},
month = {9},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/106586},
abstract = {The analysis of box-score performance indicators has traditionally been used to
classify player roles in women’s basketball based on the five conventional positions:
point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center. However, this
framework may not reflect the current tactical and functional demands of the game.
The aim of this study was to identify and redefine functional player roles in professional women’s basketball using performance data derived from actual competition.
A total of 36,204 individual player records from 3,894 games in the Spanish Liga
Femenina Endesa (2012–2022) were analyzed. Game-related statistics were normalized by effective playing time and scaled to a 40-minute format. One-way ANOVA
revealed significant differences across traditional positions, but also indicated considerable functional overlap. Unsupervised learning techniques, including k-means and
Gaussian mixture models, were applied to identify underlying performance-based
player profiles. The analysis yielded nine stable and interpretable functional roles,
offering a more nuanced classification than the traditional five-position model. These
roles capture offensive, defensive, and hybrid specializations, providing coaches and
analysts with a practical framework for tactical planning, scouting, and individualized
player development. The findings support a shift toward data-driven classification
systems that better reflect the functional realities of modern elite women’s basketball.},
organization = {Research Group Support Grant
(GR24133)},
organization = {European Union through the European
Regional Development Funds (ERDF)},
organization = {Unit of Research Excellence
of the University of Granada, Melilla Campus,
UECUMel (UCE-PP2024-02)},
publisher = {Plos One},
title = {Redefining player roles in professional women’s basketball: From traditional positions to functional profiles},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0330726},
author = {Ibáñez, Sergio J. and Courel-Ibáñez, Javier and Contreras-García, José Miguel and Piñar-López, María Isabel},
}