How Trojan Works
Trojan is the SAIT staff's basketball operating system. He turns current opponent information into a saved Scout, matchup-to-system plan, practice priorities, personnel cues, film questions, and a learning loop. The visible report stays concise, while Trojan.IQ works behind the scenes to challenge stale assumptions and bring credible outside coaching ideas into the analysis. Trojan does not replace staff judgment; coaches make the final call.
Refresh the facts
At Scout time, Trojan checks current ACAC roster, schedule, team, and player-stat information rather than relying only on a static opponent page.
Match to SAIT
Trojan maps the opponent profile to Zoom, Daley, Spain, press break, zone offense, defensive coverages, rebounding rules, and SAIT personnel.
Challenge the answer
Trojan.IQ checks system freshness, recent Scout repetition, matchup signals, and allowlisted coaching research before the report is saved.
Build the week
The result becomes one readable Scout with practice priorities, scout-team rules, film questions, personnel matchups, and coach-review checkpoints.
What happens when a coach runs a Scout
Validate the request
Trojan confirms the selected opponent and game date, then accepts optional coach comments, practice priorities, and film notes.
Refresh current-season evidence
Trojan checks the live 2026/27 ACAC sources for the opponent and SAIT. The saved Scout identifies when current statistics are available and when evidence is still pending.
Identify the matchup problem
The question is not only what the opponent runs. Trojan asks what can hurt SAIT, what SAIT can punish, and which claims still require film confirmation.
Map the opponent to SAIT systems
Opponent style and statistical signals are matched to the SAIT Playbook and Systems library for calls, counters, teaching points, defensive rules, and rebounding responsibilities.
Run the Trojan.IQ challenge
Behind the scenes, Trojan checks whether the same systems have been recommended repeatedly, whether knowledge is due for review, and whether credible outside coaching sources suggest another principle or counter worth testing.
Validate outside intelligence
Only allowlisted HTTPS coaching sources are used. Trojan strips active page content, accepts only findings tied to the supplied source URLs and known SAIT systems, limits single-source confidence, and treats every finding as advisory.
Save one coach-facing report
The Scout is stored with its evidence and hidden Trojan.IQ metadata. Coaches see one combined personnel/stat table, tactical recommendations, practice priorities, film questions, and sources—not a second technical intelligence report.
Coach review closes the loop
Staff decides what is right, wrong, too generic, or missing. Ask Trojan can use the saved Scout and validated research, while staff corrections should update profiles, system knowledge, practice notes, or the season log.
If a live source or AI research step fails: Scout generation still completes. Trojan keeps the failure visible in its internal status, avoids presenting unverified research as fact, and continues with the current verified evidence.
How Trojan stays active between questions
Monitor the upcoming schedule
Trojan Watch always starts with the next three scheduled opponents and calculates the preparation runway for each game.
Refresh league evidence
League data is refreshed in bounded batches when the Command Center opens and by a scheduled automation every three hours. Verified snapshots are stored in D1 so one temporary ACAC failure does not erase the operating picture.
Detect changes and exceptions
Trojan compares recent results, scoring margins, streaks, individual category ranks, evidence coverage, system freshness, and repeated Scout recommendations.
Rank what deserves attention
The preparation queue scores upcoming opponents using game proximity, matchup impact, and confidence. The highest-value coaching questions rise above the full league table.
Route staff to action
Each attention item leads to the opponent and fresh-Scout workflow. The same evidence is then carried into tactical recommendations, personnel responsibilities, Ask Trojan, and the practice plan.
Freshness: Trojan Watch targets a three-hour operating cadence and refreshes immediately when opened. It is near real time relative to the ACAC website—not a live game feed—and every output remains bounded by the latest official data ACAC has published.
Basketball source inventory
These are the basketball sources Trojan is currently built to use. Some are local repo files, some are public web sources, and some are private staff/film sources that require coaches to supply the clips or notes.
| Source | What Trojan pulls from it | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| ACAC pages | Current-season team pages, roster pages, schedule, standings, and live player statistics. | Refreshed at Scout time for team comparisons, one combined personnel/stat table, matchup details, and scout-team assignments. |
| School athletics sites | Roster pages, coach names, bios, previews, recaps, and schedule context. | Profile verification and opponent page context. |
| Hudl staff film | Game film, team scouting reports, player tendencies, clip notes, and SAIT team stats when exported. | Film watch list, scout confirmation, practice-plan emphasis, player text cues. |
| Synergy / external film notes | Possession-level tendencies when staff has access or exports notes. | Coverage tags, action frequency, weakness validation, player-matchup detail. |
| YouTube and public video | Public game clips, opponent uploads, teaching clips, and backup examples. | Team Film Watch and drill reference links when Hudl clips are unavailable. |
| FastModel / Hoops Playbook references | Concept diagrams, action examples, and teaching language for common basketball actions. | Systems library teaching points and drill references. |
| SAIT Playbook | Our internal sets, counters, BLOBs, SLOBs, ATOs, press break, late-clock, and 2-for-1 rules. | Primary source for the SAIT answer in the matchup-to-system plan. |
| Systems library | General basketball concepts: Zoom, Spain, Princeton, press break, switch, drop, hedge, pack-line, zone attack, and special situations. | Teaching points, drill logic, counters, and terminology. |
| Trojan.IQ credible-source research | Allowlisted public coaching material from FIBA/WABC, Coach's Clipboard, and Basketball for Coaches. | Challenges system assumptions and adds source-specific ideas to the hidden intelligence layer. Findings are cached for seven days and do not replace SAIT terminology or coach judgment. |
| My Team files | Roster, staff roles, identity, player-development notes, practice notes, and season log. | Player-specific cues, S&C context, identity fit, and post-game learning loop. |
| Coach input | Matt/Kurtis/staff notes, corrections, preferences, walk-through emphasis, and game-plan calls. | Final tactical priority. Coach input overrides generated assumptions. |
ACACHudlSynergy notesSchool sitesYouTubeFIBA/WABCCoach's ClipboardBasketball for CoachesSAIT PlaybookSystems libraryCoach input
Public basketball websites currently referenced
This is the concrete public-source list Trojan can see in the repo today. If we have discussed other basketball sites in chat but they are not represented in the repo, they should be added to the Systems or Playbook source files so Trojan can keep using them consistently.
| Website | Current public URLs / patterns | Basketball use |
|---|---|---|
| ACAC |
acac.ab.ca/sports/mbkbacac.ab.ca/sports/mbkb/<current-season>/players?teamId=<id>
|
Current-season standings, team pages, player pages, roster shell, and live Scout statistics. |
| Hoops Playbook | zoom-action, spain-pick-and-roll, pick-and-roll-vs-drop, short-roll-4-on-3, twist-action, zone-offense-high-low, blob-stack, slob-hammer, ato-library, late-clock, top-lock-counter, screen-navigation, up-three-defense, numbered-break, shell-drill, closeout-drill, post-defense, ft-pressure | Plays, actions, counters, concepts, and drill reference language for Systems and Practice Plans. |
| YouTube |
youtube.com/results?search_query=<ACAC team> basketball highlightsMultiple saved youtube.com/watch?v=... teaching/reference clips in Systems and Practice Plans.
|
Public film search, backup teaching clips, action examples, and team film watch references. |
| Hudl public/report URL | hudl.com/reports/teams/847718/scouting... |
SAIT team stats/scouting exports and film-derived notes when available to staff. |
| Trojan.IQ allowlist | FIBA/WABC, Coach's Clipboard, Basketball for Coaches | External system checks for concepts such as Zoom, drop coverage, pack-line defense, and zone offense. Trojan does not crawl the unrestricted web. |
What is stored and what leaves Trojan
| Data handling | Current behavior |
|---|---|
| Saved Scouts | The complete report is stored in Trojan's database so it can be reopened, compared with recent Scouts, and used by Ask Trojan. |
| Research cache | Validated external findings are cached for seven days by system and anonymous matchup profile, reducing repeated web retrieval and AI synthesis. |
| External research requests | Only system IDs, generic research questions, anonymous matchup-profile signals, and public-source text are sent to the research model. |
| Private staff information | Coach notes, private player information, medical information, and confidential film details are not sent to public research websites. |
| Visible Scout output | Trojan.IQ remains behind the scenes. The staff sees the coaching recommendation, evidence, cautions, and usable sources rather than internal scoring or prompt mechanics. |
How Trojan makes tactical decisions
| Opponent read | SAIT answer | Practice emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| Switch-heavy defense | Zoom Flip into Chicago; slip Yopa; punish small-on-big seals. | Reject switch, slip timing, second-side seal. |
| Drop coverage | Zoom plus high ball-screen; Spain if the big sits too deep. | Pocket pass, elbow pull-up, Spain back-screen timing. |
| Pack-line or lane-load | Daley ball reversal into Zoom Spain. | Reversal discipline, high-low patience, slot pop reads. |
| Hard hedge or blitz | Zoom flare into Yopa short roll. | Short-roll catches, slot lift, corner hold, first pass out of pressure. |
| Pressure or traps | Press break into Zoom Twist. | Clean outlets, middle catches, twist counters after pressure releases. |
| Zone | Princeton High-Post into Zoom high-low. | High-post catches, baseline runner timing, corner relocation. |
What the practice plan is supposed to do
Monday
Solve their primary action and install the first SAIT answer.
Tuesday
Solve their secondary action and stress-test the same answer live.
Wednesday
Practice counters to their counters plus special situations.
Thursday
Clean personnel details, matchup rules, free throws, and walk-through tempo.
Friday
Confirm keys, film, player cues, and light shooting.
What is automated vs coach-reviewed
| Trojan can automate | Staff must review |
|---|---|
| Formatting scouts, plans, pages, and text-ready player cues. | Final tone, tactical call, and what actually gets sent to players. |
| Mapping coverage tags to SAIT Playbook/System answers. | Whether the tag matches current film. |
| Suggesting practice blocks and scout-team rules. | Load, injuries, fatigue, availability, and S&C constraints. |
| Suggesting film themes. | The actual Hudl/Synergy clips and what staff wants the team to see. |
| Finding and validating credible outside coaching principles. | Whether the principle fits SAIT personnel, current opponent film, and the staff's preferred language. |
| Tracking repeated system recommendations and knowledge freshness. | Whether a repeated answer is still correct or the system needs a staff-led check-in and update. |