Maturational Development as a Key Aspect in Physiological Performance and National-Team Selection in Elite Male Basketball Players.

Abstract

PURPOSE\nTo determine the discriminators as variables to select the under-16 national-team players and to examine the influence of biological age on physical/technical parameters among young basketball players.\n\n\nMETHODS\nThirty-four under-15 male basketball players performed several anthropometrical (height, wingspan, body mass, and fingers length) and physical (jumping, sprinting, throwing, flexibility, change-of-direction speed, and aerobic fitness) tests during the under-15 male national-team training camp. Maturity offset, lower-limb asymmetry index, and power outputs for jumping and sprinting were also computed. In addition, game performance was taken into consideration using game-related statistics (assists, turnovers, steals, rebounds, blocks, and points) of 5 games of during the previous regional tournament (April 2016). Cluster analysis was used to analyze the between-maturation status (prepubertal, pubertal, and postpubertal) differences in physical parameters.\n\n\nRESULTS\nThe postpubertals showed a significantly better performance in power outputs (jumping and sprinting), throwing abilities, and blocks, whereas prepubertal performed significantly better in aerobic fitness and assists. Receiver-operating-characteristic curve confirmed maturational status (area under the curve [AUC]\u2009=\u20090.804; P\u2009<\u2009.05) and training experience (AUC\u2009=\u20090.789; P\u2009<\u2009.05) as the most important attributes in predicting under-16 national-team selection. Players with more than 5.5 years of training experience and less than 1.4\xa0y to the age at peak height velocity were most likely to be selected.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nMaturational status seems to be a key variable that increases the probability of selection for the Portuguese under-16 national team.