## 4 Discussion  
This study examined both inter- and intra-session reliability of the 3-point line curve sprint test according to the maturity status in youth basketball players. The main findings of this study revealed variability in both relative and absolute reliability across maturity groups. Specifically, the mid-PHV and post-PHV groups demonstrated very high and high reliability, respectively, in CS trials, whereas lower reliability was observed for half-CS trials in both maturity groups. Additionally, pre-PHV basketball players displayed high reliability for CS trials but only moderate reliability for half-CS trials on the weak side. Finally, the pre-PHV group requires at least three trials to achieve high reliability, whereas mid- and post-PHV groups can attain high or very high relative and absolute reliability with just one trial. In terms of intersession reliability, all maturity groups demonstrate high \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline  
\end{table} 
Table 4: Intra-session reliability for 3-point line curve sprint test performance according to the maturity status in youth basketball players. to very high scores, except for the weak side of half-CS trials in the pre-PHV group, which shows moderate reliability. These results highlight the influence of maturity status on the reliability of CS performance in youth basketball players. To date, evidence on curvilinear sprinting and the reliability of CS tests considering maturation is scarce. In the current study, the CS test demonstrated higher absolute (CV range from 1.55 to 2.55) and relative reliability (CV range from 0.80 to 0.91) for the mid-PHV group. These findings align with previous studies that evaluated speed, agility, and jump test protocols in similar age groups [15; 16; 33]. This contrasts with the common characterization of mid-PHV players as being in the \"motor clumsiness\" phase, during which rapid growth in the trunk and limbs is thought to compromise motor coordination and stretch-shortening cycle efficiency [34; 35; 36]. In the post-PHV maturational stage, youth basketball players presented high reliability in CS trials (ICC from 0.79 to 0.85 and CV from 1.87 to 2.28) but only moderate reliability in half-CS trials (ICC from 0.64 to 0.73 and CV from 2.93 to 3.63). Maturity seems to play a critical role in enhancing the ability to manage centripetal forces during CS, as post-PHV athletes demonstrate increased stability in sprint-related factors such as motor coordination, ground contact time, stride length, and stride frequency [37; 38]. Importantly, pre-PHV players reported moderate reliability scores on the weak side of the half-CS test (ICC = 0.65 and CV = 2.53). The lower reliability in this group likely reflects the developmental stage of motor skills, as these athletes are still refining fundamental movement patterns, leading to greater variability in complex tasks [39]. Accordingly, previous studies have reported higher variability in countermovement jump performance (CM) [25] or maximal isometric force tasks [24] in pre-PHV athletes compared to their older counterparts. Altogether, these results highlight the need to consider the maturity status when interpreting CS performance data in youth basketball players. Selecting appropriate tests and developing efficient protocols to maximize valuable information within the time constraints of strength and conditioning coaches is essential to optimize training practices [40]. In this regard, our findings indicated that averaging three trials resulted in the highest reliability across all maturational groups (ICC from 0.80 to 0.98 and CV from 0.77 to 2.34) in youth basketball players. However, considering the time constraints encountered by coaches, a single trial would be sufficient to achieve high to very high reliability in the mid- and post-PHV groups (ICC from 0.78 to 0.94 and CV from 1.25 to 2.37).