At SAS Innovate, attendees saw something they might not have expected. Amongst conversations about data, AI and enterprise transformation, they found themselves doing basketball drills.
Real ones.
With former Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony at the center.
Powered by SAS technology.
And created by an unconventional duo of R&D and Marketing who seized a unique opportunity to build something like this.
What started as an idea to feature a sports partner became something much more energizing for the people behind it. The project, called The Magic Touch, wasn’t a demo at all. It became a testament to what’s possible when you take enterprise software, put a cultural wrapper around it and let creatives and technologists run.
Building something different (and fun)
This wasn’t a plug-and-play experience. It was built entirely by SAS from the ground up.
Brand Marketing and the Solutions Applied Technology (SAT) team within R&D partnered to design a branded technology experience that could showcase SAS technology in a fun way. The idea: Why just talk about data and AI when you can dunk with it?
It all stemmed from the need to give people a hands-on look at how AI and creativity can come together in unexpected and inspiring ways. The perfect mix was an experience that let people go through a set of basketball drills led by an NBA player while their movements were tracked and analyzed by SAS technology.
I was the reference model for this. Before Anthony stepped in, I acted out every move in the drill sequences. That footage became the foundation the R&D team used to create the experience that ended up at Innovate. As someone who is passionate about basketball, I was happy to see these worlds collide.
“We knew we wanted to do something in partnership with the Magic and show the art of what’s possible with our software on the back end,” said Robert L. Anderson, Director of the Solutions Applied Technology team. “The idea we eventually settled on was an interactive experience that would use Computer Vision and various SAS IoT components to capture a player’s movements against what they see on the screen. Once we realized we could possibly get a member of the Orlando Magic to participate, we needed someone familiar with basketball to shoot some reference videos for us. I’d shot around with Caslee in the SAS gym in the past, so I decided to ask him.”
Others who worked on the project were happy to see the worlds of sports and technology meet head-on.
“Sports were at the core of many memorable seasons of my life growing up. From playing competitively myself to watching athletes on TV, I have always associated sports with community and connection,” said Atiyah Hamilton-Barlow, a data science and AI solutions developer who worked on this project. “It has been a very fulfilling and unique opportunity to merge my knowledge of measurement and AI with my passion for sports, helping to bring that experience of connection to other people through tech.”
Not your typical SAS project
Development teams within R&D do not often get to work on something like this: a culturally relevant project that is simply a blast to think about. And for brand marketers, this wasn’t a traditional campaign or content play. Folks who are used to tackling data and people problems switched gears to consider the nuances of user movement, on-screen timing and how to infuse data and AI into basketball drills.
“You don’t get opportunities to marry SAS technology and professional sports very often. I’ve spent four decades here, mostly in customer-facing roles and this is by far the most fun thing I’ve been a part of,” said Anderson. “It’s a big part of why I feel our developers and staff in Solutions Applied Technology have the best job. We get to show the power of SAS in truly innovative ways while raising brand awareness and contributing to pipeline growth.”
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- Lining up to try out The Magic Touch
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- Bo Outlaw watches as someone goes through the drills
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- The jumpshot was my favorite part and it looks like this one went in!
When marketers and R&D build together
One of the most powerful takeaways from The Magic Touch was how effective the experience was because of the collaboration behind it. Brand Marketing had the vision to showcase how SAS technology can work in a lighter way at SAS Innovate and the SAT team had the skills to bring that vision to life. Neither side could’ve built this alone.
“The Magic Touch is a powerful and tangible example of our vision in action: find a way for our technology to guide an experience, to be a ‘demo in disguise’. And nope, these activations are far from easy to build,” said Mirko Mueller-Goolsbey, Brand Activation Director at SAS. “But when you have talent like the Solutions Applied Technology team in R&D who just get it and understand what we are trying to achieve from a marketing standpoint, an interactive experience that lets us showcase our technology in fun, creative and culturally relevant ways, it makes the job that much easier. Featuring the Orlando Magic in this way, who are in a league of their own when it comes to using technology to engage fans, just made sense.”
SAS is a big company. It’s easy to stay in your own lane. But when projects like this force people to work outside their bubble, the results can be surprisingly human, not just technically impressive.
“What I loved about this project was how it brought together so many disciplines – data science, storytelling, video, UX and hardware – and pushed me to adapt constantly,” said Christa Cody, Sr. Data Scientist. “I leaned on what I knew but also had to learn on the fly about IoT hardware, real-time streaming, and collaborating across new teams. Projects like this remind me I’m in the right career – they stretch your skills, reward adaptability, and show that the best outcomes come from being collaborative and willing to roll with the punches.”
Why this matters for careers and culture
For people exploring careers in tech, this project is a reminder that you don’t have to choose between analytical work and creative expression. The Magic Touch wasn’t a side hustle. At SAS, this was part of the job.
“This project charged me to think critically and strategically to translate my analytic skillset into an enjoyable yet unconventional experience,” said Hamilton-Barlow. “I discovered new ways to integrate SAS tech with open-source technologies based on the needs of the experience and found new combined use cases that showcase the strength and appeal of SAS tools working together.”
It also shows that the SAS culture has range. Yes, we build solutions for big, world-altering problems. But we also make room for fun. And in this case, fun turned into innovation that got people moving, smiling and interacting with SAS in an engaging, unique way.
The Magic Touch wasn’t a one-off moment. When you mix curiosity, culture and tech, you can build things that leave an impression. The budding partnership between Brand Marketing at the SAT team is just beginning, as they start to look for ways to “level up” the experience with additional technological enhancements.
It’s not every day you get “coached” by an NBA player at a tech conference. And it’s not every day a data and AI company decides to build something like this.
In case you didn’t know…
The Magic Touch came to life in part due to a growing relationship between SAS and the Orlando Magic – one rooted in a shared focus on innovation.
Earlier this year, the Magic named SAS an official partner, kicking off a new era of fan experience fueled by data and AI. The NBA franchise uses SAS® Viya® to personalize digital in-app interactions, optimize ticket sales and better understand what keeps fans coming back.
Whether it’s smarter pricing, in-app engagement, or uncovering fan behavior patterns, SAS is helping the Magic bring their mission to life: to create legendary experiences. Launching The Magic Touch at SAS Innovate was a testament to what’s possible when sports and analytics team up.
