Dropback Takehome: Men's College Basketball Player Comparison Tool

Reviewer - @DropbackHQ

Demo

Installation Steps

1. Install dependencies

   npm install

2. Start Supabase local instance

   npx supabase start

3. Configure environment variables

   Create apps/web/.env.local with the following (get values from npx supabase status):

   NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:54321
   NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=your_anon_key_here
   SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=your_service_role_key_here
   

   An example template is provided in apps/web/.env.example

4. Start the development server

   npm run dev

5. Run data ingestion

   curl -X GET http://localhost:3000/api/data-ingestion

   This will fetch and populate the local Postgres instance with ~1000 college basketball players from ESPN's 2025-2026 season.

6. Access the app

   Open http://localhost:3000 to use the player comparison tool.

Technical Details

A full-stack college basketball player comparison tool with three core components:

Data Ingestion Service: Automated ESPN API integration that fetches player profiles and statistics, then stores them in Supabase. Handles both player metadata (name, position, year, team) and player statistics (PPG, RPG, APG, FG%, etc.).

Database Schema: Two-table design with players table for profile data and player_stats table for a player's season statistics. Includes proper foreign key relationships, indexes on frequently queried fields, and support for home/away stat tracking.

Comparison UI: Modern Next.js interface with dual player selection dropdowns (grouped by year), side-by-side stats table with difference highlighting, and advanced metrics visualizations using Recharts. Feature responsive design with dark mode support.

Advanced Metrics Visualizations:

• Per-Minute Impact: (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK - TO) / MIN
• True Shooting %: PTS / (2 × (FGA + 0.44 × FTA)) - normalized to 0-1 scale
• Assist/Turnover Ratio: AST / TO
• Defensive Impact: STL + BLK - PF

Also includes a player strengths analysis that identifies each player's top 3 attributes based on college basketball thresholds (12 PPG for scoring, 6 RPG for rebounding, 3 APG for playmaking, etc.).

Further Improvements

• Add more advanced metrics (PER, Win Shares, Usage Rate, Box Plus/Minus)
• Add team-level aggregations and roster comparisons
• Add player search functionality instead of just dropdowns
• Support for filtering by conference, division, or position
• Add unit and integration tests for data ingestion and aggregation logic