{"id":79669,"date":"2026-03-09T19:46:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T02:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=79669"},"modified":"2026-03-10T21:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T04:24:20","slug":"from-the-court-to-code-student-founders-launch-ai-platform-to-democratize-basketball-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=79669","title":{"rendered":"From the Court to Code: Student Founders Launch AI Platform to Democratize Basketball Training"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"163\" data-end=\"379\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong data-start=\"163\" data-end=\"203\">LAPost \/ Los Angeles (March 9, 2026)<\/strong> \u2014 What began years ago on a school basketball court in Suzhou has evolved into a technology startup aiming to bring professional-grade athletic training to everyday players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"381\" data-end=\"672\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A team of student founders from the <strong data-start=\"417\" data-end=\"460\">University of Southern California (USC)<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"465\" data-end=\"487\">Minerva University<\/strong> has launched <strong data-start=\"501\" data-end=\"516\">BounceBunny<\/strong>, an AI-powered platform designed to help non-professional basketball players access personalized training programs typically reserved for elite athletes.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_79693\" style=\"width: 1216px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-79693\" class=\"size-full wp-image-79693\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1206\" height=\"2100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013.jpeg 1206w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013-172x300.jpeg 172w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013-588x1024.jpeg 588w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013-768x1337.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013-882x1536.jpeg 882w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013-1176x2048.jpeg 1176w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image0-2026-03-10T212045.013-520x905.jpeg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1206px) 100vw, 1206px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-79693\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Screenshot<\/p><\/div>\n<p data-start=\"674\" data-end=\"1164\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The startup was founded by former teammates Kevin Gou, Stefan Sun, and Ash Du, who spent years playing competitive basketball together before pursuing studies in computer science, game design, psychology, and behavioral economics. Their shared experience as student-athletes exposed a gap in the sports training ecosystem: while professional and top collegiate programs employ full-time strength and conditioning coaches, independent athletes often lack access to individualized guidance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"674\" data-end=\"1164\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image2-6.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-79691\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image2-6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1321\" height=\"677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image2-6.png 1321w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image2-6-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image2-6-1024x525.png 1024w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image2-6-768x394.png 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image2-6-520x266.png 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1321px) 100vw, 1321px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1166\" data-end=\"1424\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cMost players want to improve their vertical jump, which is crucial for basketball,\u201d the founders said. \u201cBut without access to a trainer, many rely on generic online videos that can\u2019t adapt to their body metrics, training schedule, or available equipment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1426\" data-end=\"1788\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">BounceBunny aims to close that gap through AI-driven training. Unlike traditional fitness apps that offer generic workout plans, the platform focuses specifically on basketball performance. Its models are trained on a specialized dataset that includes professional training protocols and peer-reviewed sports science research related to basketball performance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1426\" data-end=\"1788\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image1-20.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-79692\" src=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image1-20.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1251\" height=\"837\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image1-20.png 1251w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image1-20-300x201.png 300w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image1-20-1024x685.png 1024w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image1-20-768x514.png 768w, https:\/\/lapost.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image1-20-520x348.png 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1251px) 100vw, 1251px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1790\" data-end=\"2060\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The app allows athletes to input their personal data\u2014including physical metrics, available equipment, and training time\u2014to generate a tailored training plan. Using video analysis, the platform can also estimate a player\u2019s vertical jump and track improvement over time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2062\" data-end=\"2262\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In addition to automated training guidance, the platform connects users with experienced dunkers and professional players who offer consultations and performance feedback through scheduled sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2264\" data-end=\"2542\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While balancing demanding academic schedules, the founders continue to refine their AI models to analyze biomechanics and movement efficiency. Their long-term vision is to enable real-time feedback on athletic form\u2014essentially placing a sports science lab inside a smartphone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2544\" data-end=\"2788\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Despite the advanced technology, the mission remains personal. The founders say they are building the platform for athletes like their younger selves\u2014players with ambition and dedication, but without access to professional coaching resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2790\" data-end=\"2862\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">More information about the platform is available at<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bouncebunny.app\">http:\/\/bouncebunny.app<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LAPost \/ Los Angeles (March 9,&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,6,17,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-ca-local","category-education","category-science-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79669"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79694,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79669\/revisions\/79694"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/79693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=79669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=79669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}