Physical Workload Patterns in U-18 Basketball Using LPS and MEMS Data: A Principal Component Analysis by Quarter and Playing Position

Basketball is a high-intensity, intermittent sport in which physical demands fluctuate depending on different contextual variables. Most studies addressed these demands in isolation without integrative approaches. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify key variables explaining players' physical workload across game quarters and playing positions through principal component analysis (PCA). Ninety-four elite U18 male basketball players were registered during the EuroLeague Basketball ANGT Finals using WIMU PRO™ multi-sensor wearable devices that integrate local positioning systems (LPS) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). From over 250 recorded variables, 31 were selected and analyzed by PCA for dimensionality reduction, analyzing the effects of game quarter and playing position. Five to eight principal components explained 61-73% of the variance per game quarter, while between four and seven components explained 64-69% per playing position. High-intensity variables showed strong component loadings in early quarters, with explosive distance (loading = 0.898 in total game, 0.645 in Q1) progressively declining to complete absence in Q4. Position-based analysis revealed specific workload profiles: guards required seven components to explain 69.25% of the variance, with complex movement patterns, forwards showed the highest explosive distance loading (0.810) among all positions, and centers demonstrated concentrated power demands, with PC1 explaining 34.12% of the variance, dominated by acceleration distance (loading = 0.887). These findings support situational and individualized training approaches, allowing coaches to design individual training programs, adjust rotation strategies during games, and replicate demanding scenarios in training while minimizing injury risk.