###### Abstract
Central to this cognitive framework is the visual system, which processes dynamic environmental inputs through three key functions: (1) Tracking moving targets (e.g., predicting ball trajectories) [9], (2) assessing spatial relationships (e.g., defensive positioning) [10], and (3) rapidly scanning visual fields for tactical information [6]. In fast-paced basketball contexts, athletes with enhanced visual-cognitive integration demonstrate superior information processing speeds [18]. Crucially, these visual-cognitive capacities are trainable. This evidence establishes visual processing not merely as sensory input, but as a measurable component of sports intelligence, necessitating its evaluation in comprehensive athlete selection models [19]. In this regard, experienced athletes use advanced tracking and fixation techniques that significantly improve their shooting accuracy [7,11,19]. Research has suggested that elite basketball players--namely, those competing at the professional or international level--demonstrate superior cognitive and gaze behavior abilities compared to near-elite players (e.g., national or university-level athletes) [13]. Players with longer and more stable QE durations are more likely to exhibit superior shooting accuracy, making QE a strong indicator of elite performance [5,20]. Additionally, FD and FFD reveal differences in visual processing efficiency, where elite players exhibit longer, more stable fixations, while near-elite players struggle with fixation inconsistency and visual overload [13]. Given these distinctions, training programs for near-elite players should emphasize fixation control, gaze stability, and anticipatory processing to help them develop more effective visual attention strategies [21]. Furthermore, analyzing FD and FFD patterns can assist coachesin designing targeted interventions to enhance visual processing speed and shooting consistency, ultimately improving overall performance. Understanding how gaze behavior diverges across competition levels provides critical insights for the development and selection of athletes [20]. Player performance can be improved by identifying clear distinctions between elite and near-elite players, training methodologies, and developing evidence-based interventions to enhance gaze behavior in the context of basketball shooting [8]. Given the increasing reliance on sports science in elite basketball, understanding how gaze behaviors differentiate elite from near-elite players is essential for refining training strategies, performance diagnostics, and player selection criteria [5,10]. In summary, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the reliability and consistency of assessments of the impacts of gaze behaviors (i.e., QE duration, FFD, FD) on basketball shooting performance. By synthesizing findings from studies that quantitatively evaluate gaze behaviors during shooting tasks in competitive basketball settings, this review identified how these gaze behavior mechanisms contribute to shooting accuracy. To ensure methodological rigour, only original research studies involving able-bodied elite and near-elite basketball players were included in competitive contexts. Studies involving psychological interventions, wheelchair basketball, noncompetitive players, or broader cognitive factors beyond perceptual gaze behavior were excluded.