DEAF AND HEARING BASKETBALL NATIONAL TEAMS AT THE 2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS OF GAME-RELATED STATISTICS BETWEEN THE WINNING AND THE DEFEATED

The aim of the study was to identify the situational factors of a game which (a) might affect the victory or defeat in the game; (b) were common for matches played in a tournament for the hearing or deaf, including matches won or lost. The analysis included 37 matches of national deaf teams (5th World Deaf Basketball Championships, Poland) and 92 matches of national hearing teams (18th Basketball World Cup, China). During both tournaments, the matches played were divided into won and lost. We also presented analyses concerning 31 game situational variables related to the performance of national basketball teams at both events. All situational variables were subject to statistical analysis, including calculation of their means and standard deviations, and determination of minimum and maximum. Discriminant analysis was performed, too. The analyses showed no statistically significant differences in almost all game aspects between matches won by deaf and hearing basketball players. Statistically significant differences in situational variables were observed between matches won during the 5th World Deaf Basketball Championships and matches lost during the 18th Basketball World Cup. The discriminant analysis allowed to determine the situational variables that affected the winning or losing of a game: missed shots for 2 or 3 points, free throws, defensive and offensive rebounds, as well as assists, steals, and turnovers. A classification matrix indicated 21 results of direct match competitions achieved by deaf teams (winning and losing), which allowed to qualify these teams as hearing ones in terms of the values of game situational variables. Literature analysis revealed lack of scientific reports on deaf sport.