NETBALL Jamaica recently appointed Xavier Thompson as video analyst to the Sunshine Girls throughout their journey to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

Thompson, who is also a basketball player, said that his main objective is assisting the Sunshine Girls in their preparation going forward.

“My main goal at the moment is to assist the Sunshine Girls in their quest for gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Currently we are in the stages of gathering and analysing footage of our girls as well as their main competitors, in order to make adjustments to our tactics as well as plan effectively for opponents,” he said.

Thompson, who has a master’s degree in applied psychology, which is useful in analysing player performances and tendencies, said that he became aware of this opportunity that he wanted to start video analysing within the past year.

“It was in the year 2013 — to me it seemed like divine intervention — when I became aware of this opportunity, as my knowledge in this field — video and performance analysis — is limited in Jamaica and I commend Netball Jamaica for taking steps in this direction,” Thompson added, before noting that Erik Spoelstra inspired him.

“I would have to say Erik Spoelstra, who started out as a video coordinator for the Miami Heat, inspired my career. He worked his way up and has now won multiple NBA championships as a coach and assistant coach. I believe his extreme attention to detail and analysis of opponents has led to his meteoric rise through the ranks,” explained Thompson.

“I hope to turn this into a long-term association with Netball Jamaica and the Sunshine Girls, as well as other national teams who plan to venture more into this area,” he concluded.