Canada
Hawks Talon GC Scout Matthew Morgan Answers Questions Before 2021 NBA 2K League Draft on Saturday, March 13
Hawks Talon Gaming Club will have three selections in the 2021 NBA 2K League Draft which will take place on Saturday, March 13. These picks are 11th overall (first round), 34th overall (second round) and 48th overall (third round). Helping Head Coach Wesley Acuff over the past few months with the scouting process has been @WalkOnWarriors (Xavier Daniel) and @MattMorg__ (Matthew Morgan). Below is a Q&A with @MattMorg_.
Name: Matthew Morgan | Gamertag: MattMorg_ | Twitter Handle: @MattMorg_
Q: Been Playing NBA 2K Since…
“2K9. It feels like forever, but I also started playing competitively in ProAm with 2K17.”
Q: What does it mean to you to have an opportunity to be a scout with Hawks Talon?
“It means the world to me, honestly. Being a former player and now a scout and an opportunity to get my foot in the door of the NBA 2K League with a great organization like Hawks Talon GC. They’ve welcomed me and appreciated what I can bring to the table. I can’t thank Coach Wes enough for the opportunity as well as the mentorship of what goes on behind the scenes in the league.”
Q: What do you look for when you scout players?
“As NBA 2K grows and the league itself also grows, people would think you watch the moves players can do, but with streaming and the YouTube channels and the overall talent that we have playing the game now, I scout the players’ reactions, communications to good and bad plays. This is because everyone knows how to do the moves. It’s about when to do them — is it open, is there a counter, does the player see what I see or vice versa. As a scout, I am supposed to get players that will make the right plays and Coach Wes will get those players in positions to make those plays.”
Q: What is your favorite build to watch and why?
“Point guard. Basketball is poetry and essentially a chess match. I think there are moves to set up another move at another time. I like to watch how the point guard manages the game of when to pass, when to shoot, when he picks his spots and when he picks for his teammates to get involved. When all of that is clicking, it becomes a beautiful game of NBA 2K basketball.”
Q: What does it take to be a good scout?
“I think it’s understanding and listening. There are also an insane amount of hours of film study. I don’t think I’d be here today as a scout if I didn’t hit the floor as a player and listen to the players and have dialogue with them. Sometimes, I play devil’s advocate, so my own opinions take form. It’s good to see things from all views and then come to my own conclusions as I find common themes and such.”
Q: What are your favorite moments in 2K League history?
I have a few:
- When BearDaBeast passed to TurnUpDefense who made the three-point shot to beat Blazer5 Gaming
- When Mama Im Dat Man scored a single-game NBA 2K League record 77 Points
- When Regg debuted with 36-point and 41-point performances
- When JBM put up a 50-point game in last year’s playoffs
Q: Do you have to be an exceptional 2K player to be a good scout?
“No, but you must understand the game every year to scout it, so being good can help.”
Q: Why basketball?
“I love it. I love the game truly, like I said it’s an art. It is poetry in motion. Sometimes, you do one move to set up another move. Sometimes, you’re countering someone’s first move the correct way in just a matter of seconds. When those things are all in sync at its best, you get performances like (those) notable performances. Sometimes, you get rollercoaster stories that even the best writers couldn’t script.”
Stats Perform, the global leader in sports AI, data and technology, has announced an official data partnership with the Northern Super League (NSL). The partnership will allow world-leading Opta data to be collected live from every NSL league game for the next three years.
Beginning this month, the Northern Super League (NSL) establishes a new era in Canadian sport as the country’s first professional domestic women’s soccer league — an ambitious and transformative initiative co-founded by former Canadian international and Olympic medallist Diana Matheson. Its inaugural season kicks off on April 16 and will feature six teams who have assembled multinational player rosters with extensive club and international experience, including 100-cap Canadian internationals Desiree Scott and Quinn.
Once the action begins, detailed data from every on-ball event, including advanced AI-powered Opta Analytics metrics such as Expected Goals (xG) and Expected Assists (xA), will be captured and distributed via feeds and Stats Perform products, including OptaAI Studio. This will enable various broadcasters, publishers and rights holders to generate stories and insights throughout the NSL season and provide them straight to the league’s fans in real time.
As part of the agreement, the NSL’s League Office and every NSL club will also have access to Opta Search, part of OptaAI Studio. This will allow their content creators to leverage all Opta data collected during the NSL season in the creation of data-led stories on the stand-out performers, and will help them generate key talking points for publication on official league and club platforms. Opta Search will also empower the NSL’s media team to create a range of data visualizations, including player shot maps and touch maps, to visually illustrate the impact of different players’ on-field performances.
Christina Litz, NSL President, said: “We are thrilled to have Stats Perform on board as our official data partner. When we talk about detailed performance data in soccer, Opta is the gold standard, so we are delighted to have it powering each of our official digital channels. As the season progresses, we want to put the spotlight on all the on-field heroes who emerge and having access to world-class data will help us tell their stories and inspire a new generation of Canadian soccer fans.”
Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform, said: “Stats Perform has been a huge supporter of expansion leagues around the world, so we are very pleased to be partnering with NSL in the lead-up to their first domestic campaign. Seeing a fully professional women’s soccer league launch in Canada is an incredibly exciting development for the sport in North America and we see considerable potential in working proactively with the League’s Head Office to help the competition grow, using the power of AI and data-led storytelling to build fan communities across the continent.”
The post Northern Super League Partners with Stats Perform appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Africa
INCENTIVE GAMES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND UK WITH LIGHT & WONDER
Leading B2B games provider, Incentive Games, today announced its new agreement with premium gaming company and content provider Light & Wonder, Inc.
Through this agreement, Incentive Games will distribute its premium pay-to-play games – including new arcade-style titles – to key global regulated markets including the USA, Canada, South Africa, UK, and within Europe via Light & Wonder’s extensive operator network. Additionally, Incentive Games’ popular free-to-play content will be made available to a wider audience through Light & Wonder’s content marketplace.
The agreement brings together two industry leaders in iGaming and the strengths of both companies to deliver exceptional player experiences and elevate customer engagement.
Ahmed Baker, Chief Commercial Officer at Incentive Games said, “This agreement is a landmark moment in our company’s history. Previously, we’ve worked directly with major operators such as bet365, FanDuel, and Sky Bet. Now, we can distribute our games via Light & Wonder, an exceptional aggregator that we trust will handle our games with care.”
Steve Mayes, Senior Director of Partners at Light & Wonder, said: “We are excited to work with Incentive Games, a leader in gamification solutions. We look forward to leveraging their innovative platform and bringing their customisable crash and fast game content to all major regulated markets.”
The post INCENTIVE GAMES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND UK WITH LIGHT & WONDER appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
PENN Entertainment announced that it has launched theScore Casino, a new stand-alone iCasino app in Ontario. The dedicated online casino experience leverages the popular theScore brand, which has been a mainstay in the Ontario market for decades. Now available on Android, iOS, and desktop, customers can login using their existing theScore Bet credentials, allowing for a seamless experience across online gaming platforms.
theScore Casino operates on the same cutting-edge proprietary technology platform as PENN’s online Hollywood Casino, which launched as a standalone product in the US in December. The product was recently ranked by Eilers & Krejcik as the #2 overall iCasino product in the US.
theScore Casino, also available within theScore Bet app, offers a variety of online slots, table games, and live dealer content, including original titles from PENN Game Studios, the company’s in-house game development studio. theScore Casino also includes bespoke live dealer tables and exclusive games such as Blue Jays Blackjack, an original title leveraging theScore Bet’s partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We’re excited to introduce our dedicated iCasino product in Ontario under the well-known and trusted theScore brand. We’ve built a strong online gaming foothold in the Ontario market and are primed to deliver an even better casino experience with our proven stand-alone app. Our customer-friendly platform features more than 1200 games, dozens of original titles and intuitive game play that distinguishes our product and positions us for even greater success,” said Aaron LaBerge, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Interactive at PENN Entertainment.
The post PENN Entertainment Launches Stand-alone iCasino App, theScore Casino, in Ontario appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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