The Murfreesboro (N.C.) college sees its competitive disadvantages disappear with an Athletic Department package secured through Hudl’s partnership with Conference Carolinas.
As the governing bodies responsible for putting its members in the best position to succeed, it’s obvious why conferences are investing in solutions that are adaptable enough to fit the needs of each school.
When conferences commit to raising the bar for athletics, every school benefits. In 2022, Conference Carolinas became the first Division II conference to sign a league-wide agreement to equip all 14 athletic programs with a Hudl Athletic Department package.
By setting the table for every athletic department to use industry-leading analysis solutions the programs perform at a higher level despite varying budgets and staff sizes.
Take Chowan University as an example. Chowan is one of the few schools in the conference that isn’t state-supported. Without state-issued subsidies, the athletic department’s budget is a fraction of their conference counterparts.
But with streamlined Hudl Focus smart cameras, analysis and recruiting solutions via conference-wide Athletic Department packages, Chowan’s athletic programs have equity through technology. The Hawks leverage that access to operate more efficiently and compete at a higher level.
Hudl Focus as the Foundation
For the Chowan University men’s basketball program, Hudl Focus is a game-changer.
The Hawks named Rob Burke as head coach in 2021, one year before the conference-wide deal took effect. His program’s video routine was flipped upside-down with Hudl Focus.
“When I took the job here at Chowan, we had zero editing equipment. We would have to run an extension cord from underneath our bleachers up to an old video camera, then try to connect to the Wi-Fi to drop it into iMovie just to record practice,” he said.
“It was just a fiasco, to be honest with you. So I knew when we had [Hudl Focus] how important it was for our program. If you can condense everything and reduce all the man hours down with one camera? You can't ask for a better situation.”
In college athletics, smaller budgets typically mean a smaller staff. But with tools like Hudl Focus, staff members are free to reinvest their time toward more impactful outcomes: scouting and developing tactics instead of wrangling equipment or operating a camera.
“Being able to record practice from my phone, then as I walk out of [the gym] immediately walk in my office 15 minutes after practice and start to edit and review the sections of practice that I want? That right there saves me five hours of work at night.”
Building a Program Through Recruiting
How’s that email inbox looking? The avalanche of athlete emails is overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be.
Burke and his fellow Chowan coaches rely on Hudl to consolidate and coordinate recruiting efforts, an essential task for a program fighting to find talent without cutting corners on other key responsibilities.
“I think I'm at 2000 emails over the last three years from just random emails that you get. And sometimes you might see a kid and think ‘Oh, yeah, I'll come back to that.’ But you forget about it,” said Burke. “But immediately, as I get the email with a Hudl link, I can click right into Hudl. I can go locate the kid, tag the kid, label him, and now he's there all the time. And then I can just delete the email and move it to a folder. And now he's in our Hudl database. It’s now a six-minute process.”
Each coach on the team can see and track progress with recruits. The transparency gained via an online recruiting board consisting of key information, highlights and full game that’s available 24/7 means less wasted energy.
Analysis On-Demand with League Exchange
Hudl Sportscode is the leading performance analysis platform in the world. The powerful software with complete customization and unmatched speed make it the clear favorite for elite sports organizations.
Combining top basketball software like Hudl Sportscode with a robust video and data library on conference opponents is a boon for programs like Chowan.
The Conference Carolinas League Exchange platform is integral to elevating intra-conference competitiveness.
Through the conference-wide agreement, all 14 schools have equal access to video and data on one another in a secure, centralized location. To start, teams can send any downloaded film to Hudl Assist for game breakdowns with comprehensive team and player stats in less than 24 hours.
From there, programs can seamlessly upload the video and data to Hudl Sportscode for custom analysis.
The League Exchange library is always available, so teams are no longer responsible for storing and organizing a film archive on familiar foes. Simply pull up the library, find an opponent, and access as much film and data as is available.
“For me, the instant access and not having to wait for somebody to upload in Synergy has been perfect for us from a league standpoint,” Burke said. “I watched (UNC) Pembroke last night, I did a deep dive on them. I can pull every single one of their games and it's just clip after clip after clip. If I just want to see their baseline out-of-bounds plays from one game, specifically, I can do that. I can tag a certain kid’s shots.”
Every Program: Equipped for Success
It’s not just Burke. It’s not just the men’s basketball program. It’s not just Chowan.
Every Conference Carolinas team has fully integrated, best-in-class performance analysis solutions, with Hudl, Hudl Focus, and Hudl Assist as well as Hudl Sportscode, Volleymetrics, and more.
“Everybody's in. Volleyball with Volleymetrics is a major piece since our volleyball coach doesn't have an assistant coach. It’s huge for them,” Burke said. “Football is obviously a major piece. Our soccer program, too, and their situation. Overall, it’s great for Chowan.”
For a school with less funding and lofty ambitions, efficiency is a necessity. Hudl Athletic Department packages fit the bill.
Hudl powers colleges at every level to operate efficiently and provide access to every team and athlete. See why Hudl is the best platform for performance analysis.
