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Episode 187: Ken Pomeroy – KenPom College Basketball Ratings

Ken Pomeroy aka KenPom, the Creator of the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings, joins the show to share his journey from meteorologist to creating the most influential statistical ratings in college basketball. Hear how he got into analytics, started getting press for his site, his biggest “pinch me” moment, why Cinderella runs happen, and his love for curling. This episode covers everything from J.R. Rider to Coach K. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How do you predict the weather
• Is it pronounced “data” or “data”
• How did Ken figure out what metrics to include in his ratings
• What made him focus on possession-by-possession and tempo
• When did he start telling people about KenPom
• How would a coach use KenPom to prepare for an upcoming opponent
• Who’s the highest-rated KenPom team of all time
• How do you draw a good straight line

Connect with Ken at KenPom.com and Twitter @KenPomeroy.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Meteorology
  • [0:34] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:44] Connect with Ken at KenPom.com and Twitter @KenPomeroy
  • [2:17] A True Statistical Legend
  • [2:43] 2022 March Madness
  • [2:53] Final Four (of Kens)
  • [3:15] What got Ken into meteorology
  • [3:46] Engineering
  • [4:08] How do you predict the weather
  • [4:48] The Laws of Physics
  • [5:32] Go outside more, Max
  • [5:48] How did Ken get interested in math
  • [6:00] CliffsNotes, SparkNotes
• The KenPom Story
  • [6:58] Glad that worked out
  • [7:16] Is it pronounced “data” or “data”
  • [7:43] How did Ken get into basketball analytics
  • [8:02] Bill James
  • [8:15] Sabermetrics
  • [8:45] Grad School (Graduate School)
  • [8:49] Jeff Sagarin
  • [9:07] Internet
  • [9:25] Twitter, Google
  • [9:57] Entrepreneurs
  • [10:16] The Google Goldmine
  • [10:26] Pun intended
  • [10:28] How did Ken figure out what metrics to include in his ratings
  • [10:34] NBA (National Basketball Association), Dean Oliver, Washington Wizards, Basketball on Paper, Moneyball
  • [11:02] John Hollinger, Memphis Grizzlies, Pro Basketball Prospectus
  • [11:46] This is completely true
  • [11:51] Statisticians or Staticians
  • [12:03] Do people really call Ken “Dr. Po-Po“
  • [12:14] His Wikipedia page
  • [12:47] What made him focus on possession-by-possession and tempo
  • [13:34] Villanova
  • [14:11] KenPom.com
  • [14:18] When did Ken integrate the Luck metric
  • [14:27] Shoutout Dean!
  • [15:30] What’s a metric Ken considered but didn’t include in his ratings system
  • [17:48] Excel Macros
  • [18:32] Marketing & Entrepreneurship 🙂
  • [18:51] When did Ken start telling people about KenPom
  • [19:30] Advertising
  • [19:37] Podcast
  • [20:55] How did Ken’s friends react to him being KenPom
  • [21:55] IU (Indiana University), Inside the Hall, Alex Bozich
  • [22:26] What’s been the biggest “pinch me” moment for Ken
  • [22:36] 2010 Duke-Butler Championship Game, Gordon Hayward
  • [22:53] Brad Stevens
  • [23:08] Ken on Coach K’s Radio Show
  • [23:31] Pete Thamel
  • [23:48] Can’t get over it
  • [24:21] How would a coach use KenPom to prepare for an upcoming opponent
  • [24:36] Ken is the next Coach K
  • [26:15] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Trends & Conclusions from the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings
  • [27:26] St. Peter’s Cinderella Run
  • [27:40] Shaheen Holloway
  • [27:50] How does KenPom help to explain why a team like St. Peter’s can go on a run like this
  • [28:48] Kentucky, Murray State, Purdue
  • [29:46] How do you tell which teams will go on runs
  • [30:03] Take notes people
  • [31:21] Offense & Defense – Probably Offense a Little Bit More – Maybe Wins Championships
  • [31:38] How does Ken manage the stats of 358 college basketball teams
  • [32:36] Virginia Tech, Wyoming
  • [32:49] What’s an insight pulled from KenPom Ken never thought of before
  • [33:17] Han Solo Odds Quote
  • [33:32] Tim Miles, San Jose State, Nebraska, Colorado State
  • [33:47] Big Ten (B1G)
  • [34:22] Ha!
  • [34:40] Without a doubt
  • [34:51] Who’s the highest-rated KenPom team of all time
  • [35:01] Aw thanks, Ken!
  • [35:18] Wisconsin 2015, Kentucky 2015, Kansas 2008
  • [36:16] The KenDisclaimer
  • [36:20] What’s another fun Cinderella run team besides St. Peter’s
  • [36:36] Mid-Major
  • [36:43] Power of the Peacock Metric
  • [37:03] Houston
  • [37:04] Elite 8, Illinois, Arizona, Villanova
• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [38:18] What’s a quirk Ken has
  • [38:40] J.R. Rider, J.R. Smith
  • [39:49] Whoops!
  • [39:57] What’s a pet peeve Ken has
  • [40:54] What’s a weird talent he has

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [41:56] Where did Ken’s passion for curling come from
  • [43:18] College Field Hockey
  • [43:24] High School Football
  • [43:55] Does Ken still teach Atmospheric Sciences at Utah
  • [45:32] Matt Doherty, North Carolina (UNC), Indiana Pacers
  • [45:43] ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)
  • [46:06] Michael Jordan, James Worthy
  • [46:30] How do you draw a good straight line
  • [47:32] Connect with Ken at KenPom.com and Twitter @KenPomeroy
  • [48:07] What are Ken’s Final Thoughts
  • [48:43] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And 5 stars on Apple Podcasts & Spotify if you’re feeling super nice
  • [48:56] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [48:59] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [49:01] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Ken Pomeroy on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And arm wrestle to determine which one of you would go head-to-head with Ken in a KenPom trivia battle. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!