IDS Gets Creative with Graphics at King of the Rock, FIBA 3×3 Basketball Tourneys

IDS (Information and Display Systems), a division of SMT and provider of technology solutions for the sports industry, is going coast-to-coast this weekend to provide customized scoring, statistical, and graphics integration for two of unique basketball competitions – Red Bull’s King of the Rock, a one-on-one tournament held on the notorious Alcatraz Island, and the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Final, set on Miami’s iconic South Beach.

Streetballers from around the world will square off at 9 p.m. Saturday on the two outdoor courts in the former prison yard of Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco. Players will battle it out on four half-court games going on at once for the chance to win $20,000, a trophy and the King of the Rock title.

IDS will provide each of the courts with customized lower-third broadcast graphics populated with real-time scoring and statistics via the SMT SportBug System, as well as graphics integration for on-court video displays, including a full draw display for the 64-man tournament. Additionally, IDS will provide commentator information screens and for the broadcast, which will air at a later date on a to-be-determined network.

“The logistics of producing a basketball tournament of this magnitude on Alcatraz is truly astounding,” says SMT/IDS senior project manager Stephen Kemper. “The excitement starts for us after the island tours end on Saturday, when we have just a few hours to turn the prison yard into a first-rate basketball tournament, including setting up our ‘production truck’ in the prison’s kitchen. That level rises throughout the tournament – then we break down everything after midnight to turn the island back over to the tourists in the morning.”

Back on the Atlantic Coast of Florida, FIBA is bringing its 3X3 World Tour to a close in South Beach beginning today with the finals held Sunday. IDS will be on site to provide scoring and broadcast graphics for the final day of play, including the championship game.

Teams from around the world earned spots in the tournament by competing in five 3×3 World Tour events this summer in Sao Paulo, Vladivostok, New York, Istanbul and Madrid. FIBA’s 3×3 competition format is a fast-paced 10-minute game of one- and two-point shots; first team to 21 points takes the game.

Staff from the IDS Help Desk will keep scores and stats for all 11 games on Sunday, driving the IDS TV graphics system and SMT SportCG graphics on behalf of the Perform Group for the international broadcast. The broadcast will be streamed at 3x3worldtour.com.

“Our experienced team of three on-site experts will help the Perform Group deliver the best international broadcast production possible,” says Jay Young, senior technical manager for SMT/IDS.