A Frisco startup has come up with a new way to predict athletic ability, motivation, and success that could change scouting and recruiting for multiple sports.

Most Valuable Recruit (MVR) goes beyond traditional IQ tests with technology-based analytics to measure spacial awareness, cognitive abilities, and determination.

MVR is the perfect combination of the founders’ backgrounds. Larry Davis has a doctorate in engineering so he leads the team’s research and development. Co-founder Damon Bryant, Ph.D., is an industrial psychologist.

“We are excited to be working with the team at the HYPE Foundation on ways to grow our reach in global sports.”
Larry Davis

The company was named among the top 50 programs in 2017 by the HYPE Foundation. That gives MVR access to HYPE’s network, allowing it to grow faster.

“We are excited to be working with the team at the HYPE Foundation on ways to grow our reach in global sports,” Davis said.

Baseball, football, basketball and other sports are relying on analytics more and more as big data allows number crunchers to dig deeper into athletic prowess. But analytics are typically based on past on-the-field athletic performance or how fast an athlete runs the 40-yard dash.

MVR actually predicts future success based on various mental and physical tests. In one case, they tested a college basketball player who started the season on the bench. Their own data showed that he would be successful but two other players had to get injured before he got playing time. He finished the season as Conference Player of the year.

“A good test helps unearth hidden gems.”
Damon Bryant

“A good test helps unearth hidden gems,” Bryant said. “It tells us who has abilities that poverty and lack of access may have hidden and identifies areas where an athlete might need additional support. The MVR approach reveals where we might most readily engage players at their level of skill and understanding.”

Bryant and Davis spun MVR out of their health-care company, Lumina Datamatics Assessment and Analytics, which already had significant testing infrastructure in place.

Bryant wanted to find a way to combine his love of sports and psychology.

Traditional IQ tests, such as the Wonderlic Personnel Test, don’t really measure the right areas of the brain, he said.

MVR’s tests look at strength, balance, coordination and the motivation to do the right thing that’s driven by what’s going on around them.

“The player is able to make real-time, immediate decisions.”
Damon Bryant

Imagine a quarterback reading the defense, calling an audible to change the play in a matter of seconds. Or a basketball player who can instantly position himself in the right spot to make a shot based on the opponent’s defense.

High visual-spatial awareness intelligence predicts scoring and on-the-field success.

“The player is able to make real-time, immediate decisions,” Bryant said. “They’re totally driven by the situation of what’s going on around them.”

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