Grata Software CEO Rey Ortega has spent over six years helping young female athletes grow more robust and confident through basketball. As an East Coast United Girls Basketball Club (ECU) coach, Rey saw how hard it is for Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) clubs to manage players, teams, and other tasks. So, he thought to himself, “How can I use the latest technologies like Artificial Intelligence to help?”
Rey and his team at Grata Software have been working on new solutions to fix these problems. Their latest idea lets players register for tryouts using their phones, making it easier to manage them through a unique online system.
But their plan goes beyond just basketball. With advice from groups like AAU, NCAA, NJCAA, and NAIA, Grata Software is creating a platform that will work for many sports, like soccer, softball, and football. This new platform will connect smoothly with major sports organizations.
One of the most prominent features is using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to determine how likely colleges will recruit players. This also includes finding out a player’s NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) value. “Our Artificial Intelligence helps us understand a player’s potential in a way no one else has done before,” says Rey. We hope to set a new standard for college recruitment and player development.”
Additionally, the platform will provide recruitment training and coaching led by some of the industry’s most influential coaches, evaluators, and recruiters. Rey states, “We feel like preparing athletes for recruitment is by far the most ignored part of the process. Body language, parent involvement, attitude, and such affect a player’s recruit ability as much as gameplay.”
Grata Software’s development team has over ten years of experience, having helped many businesses and participated in several company buyouts. “Our experience and connections will help make this product a big success,” Rey says. I’m excited to combine my love for sports, technology, and business to help thousands of athletes.”
The ECU organization, with many dedicated coaches like Rey, has a tradition of producing top-tier athletes. They have prepared players like McDonald’s All-American Emma Risch, who is starting her second season at Notre Dame. Each year, ECU assists dozens of athletes in getting college scholarships in women’s basketball at all levels.
Grata Software is excited to work with ECU and other youth sports organizations to provide tools that make managing teams easier and help coaches find and recruit players. With the latest technology, they aim to change how youth sports are managed and developed.