Noah's Arc: B-ball Teams Use Machine to Improve

By Taylor Jones - The Sailor's Log

Many people are familiar with the Biblical story of Noah and his ark, but the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are familiar with a different kind of Noah and his arc.

Noah Select is a machine consisting of a camera, a computer, a sound system and state-of-the-art “machine vision” technology software to tell players what their arc is while they shoot free throws, jumpers, and three-pointers.

“People ask, ‘What is the perfect arc?’ said Paul Galbenski, who is a sales representative for Noah. “The answer is a ‘consistant medium height arc’ between 43-47 degrees. In terms of distance, all great shooters shoot the ball deep into the basket. Players should shoot the ball 10-12 inches past the front of the rim and the optimal number is 11 inches past the front of the rim.”

Both teams were introduced to the Noah this past summer. Each player and coach watched and used the Noah to experience how it worked.

“At first, I was skeptical,” said coach Brad Kurth, who has led the girls’ varsity team for four years. “Then, I started to recall specific players with proper form and mechanics who never reached their shooting potential because of arc problems.”

Coach Kurth realized the Noah machine could take those shooters to the next level.

“I like using Noah because I get immediate feedback on every shot,” coach Kurth said. “It allows a player to correct or confirm their technique on every shot. Coaches just can’t feasibly do that with all the players.”

Just like coach Kurth, boys’ varsity coach Nick Bronsema was not a believer at first.

“I truly was not a believer until I saw the demonstration,” coach Bronsema said. “I just always thought that shooters were shooters because they put in the time.”

Many colleges, and even some NBA teams, use Noah. Like those teams, Shores purchased the Noah for nearly $6,000, and the basketball teams have used it during the preseason and are planning to incorporate it throughout the whole season to help players maximize their potential.

“It becomes a muscle memory thing,” coach Bronsema said. “The more you do, the better you get; only this time you have a machine telling you if you are doing things incorrectly.”

Along with coaches, players are taking a liking to the Noah too.

“I like it because it tells you if your follow through is good or not,” junior Andre Parker said. “I have only used it a couple times, but I would like to use it more. It is a great product.”

The Noah Instant product was introduced at the 2010 Final Four. The Noah Instant allows players to walk into the gym and begin shooting and get immediate feedback. If players get a certain app from iTunes, the results can be sent to their iPhone, iTouch, or iPad.

“Noah is a game changer,” Galbenski said. “Never in the history of basketball have we been able to determine the arc on a player’s shot. Noah Basketball has now made that a reality, and players everywhere are becoming better shooters by training with Noah.”