Peak external game demands are impacted by season phase but not match outcome or a mid-season coaching change in semi-professional, male basketball players

Introduction: Basketball competition imposes high physical demands on players. Quantifying the peak demands (PD) encountered is useful to identify the most intense passages of play, with more research needed to better understand factors that may impact PD. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of season phase, match outcome, and a mid-season coaching change on PD in semi-professional, male basketball players. Methods: Eleven players from a single team competing in the Spanish fourth division were monitored across 33 official matches during the 2021-2022 season. PlayerLoad™ (PL) was measured using a validated local positioning system and analyzed across 30-s, 60-s, and 180-s rolling windows. Contextual variables included season phase (preseason, first half, second half, and promotion), match outcome (win and loss), and coaching change (before and after a mid-season change in head coach). Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were used to compare PD between conditions. Results: Season phase significantly (p <0.05) influenced PD across all time windows (30 s, 60 s, and 180 s), with higher values observed during the pre-season and promotion phases compared to both halves of the regular season. PD over 180 s was also higher in the pre-season than in the promotion phase. Regarding match outcome, PD over 30 s was significantly greater in losses than in wins (p = 0.0049, large effect), while 60 s and 180 s windows showed non-significant, large trends in the same direction. No significant differences were found in PD before versus after the mid-season coaching change, suggesting no meaningful impact on these external demands. Conclusion: These findings may help inform player training prescriptions and preparatory plans aligning with fluctuations in match demands across season phases.