Do You Believe In Plus-Minus Stats?

Among the many things I am going back and taking a look at as we begin to construct things for the 2011-12 men’s basketball season is the plus-minus from 2010-11. I actually share this with the coaching staff after every game – they had been constructing it on their own but it is now a feature of the stat program we use in our office. How much of a story it really tells is a subject of debate among basketball people everywhere.

It’s a regular feature in NBA box scores and analysis, and a few years back The New York Times referred to it as the “stat du jour” of the NBA. It has stuck and has moved into the college ranks – that’s why it’s in our stat program now – but there are varying schools of thought on how accurate it truly is.

Here is a recent NBA example. In game six of the NBA Finals, Brian Cardinal was a +18 off the bench for the Mavericks, but that was in just 12 minutes where he had three points and one assist. Brian Cardinal had a noticeable impact in the Finals, yes, but +18 in 12 minutes was hardly his doing alone. Meanwhile, in the same game, LeBron James was a -24 (insert your own analysis of James’ here).

For what it is worth, the three best regulars in the plus-minus last season for the Panthers are back for this coming season.

Tony Meier +3.88 (40 minutes - +5.50)
Kaylon Williams +1.36 (40 minutes - +1.67)
Ryan Allen +0.16 (40 minutes - +0.38)

When you begin to look at the numbers from certain games, they do match what you saw with the eye. But do you need plus-minus to tell you Kaylon was spectacular at UIC in February? That said, I would offer to you that the three players who made the most consistent positive impact in their time on the court this past season are the three on the list above. You might throw Tone Boyle and Anthony Hill in that group, too, with their respective plus-minus numbers at -0.21 and -0.98. But T Meier was clearly the most consistent contributor last year, and Kaylon easily outdid his few poor games with a laundry list of good to great performances.

This season, I will post the plus-minus on the blog throughout the season. Another feature of our stat program is to analyze the different rotations and the plus-minus while that group is on the floor. You see those stats on the PDF, as well. And, as always, there are a few things the computers do that you can’t control – like the fact Evan Richard apparently played for 25 seconds against Florida Atlantic. We know he didn’t, but there doesn’t seem to be a good way to eliminate that from this computer report. Oh well.

You can view the entire season worth of plus-minus and rotations here.

Panthers Playing In Milwaukee Summer Pro-Am

A number of current and former University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s basketball players will take part in the 2011 Scion Dental Milwaukee Summer Pro-Am over the next month.

The league, which is certified by the NCAA, will play its games beginning Friday at Greenfield High School. The finals will be at the Al McGuire Center in early August.

The 10-team league will include a number of current Division I players, as well as many of the top players from Wisconsin’s Division II and Division III schools. A large list of former collegiate players from the area, many of whom play in the NBA, the D-League or in Europe, will also participate.

Current Panthers planning to play include Tony Meier, James Haarsma, Kyle Kelm and Ryan Haggerty. Former Panthers on team rosters include Ricky Franklin, Allan Hanson, Deion James, Jason Averkamp and Avery Smith.

A full schedule of games and team rosters are available here.

An Inside Look into the Sports Information Office

Recently, we had a chance to get caught up with one of the members of the UWM Sports Information Office with a question-and-answer session. Kevin Conway, Assistant Sports Information Director, just finished up his seventh season at Milwaukee, the school he also graduated from. Prior to returning in 2004, he spent a year as the media relations intern at Miami (Ohio) University. He and his wife, Jen, live in Greenfield.

~For those who don’t always know what an SID is/does, tell us a little bit about the sports you cover and your other responsibilities in the sports info office.

“I tell people I work in media relations. That is the easiest and most succinct way of putting it because that is the primary role of an SID and it needs the least amount of explanation. After that, we get into record and statistic keeping (which is probably my favorite part of the job). To put it in an over-the-top way, we are the keepers of records. We compile them and try to make people aware. Not everybody gets to be the all-time leading scorer, but I think some people take pride in having the best assist-to-turnover ratio and we have to go through and find that. Back in the day, record books had the basics, but throughout the industry, we have used the summer to get lost in stats and come up with more in-depth records. The more records you have, the more you have to write about. That makes my job (often times as the only writer covering a game) and the media’s job easier.

“In addition of being the primary contact for my assigned sports, I have undertaken the task of designing all promotional items the department puts out. That includes posters, schedule cards, postcards, flyers, program covers, ads, etc. That’s all I have to say about that.”

~List your top three favorite memories from UWM games you witnessed in person.

“No. 1. The first men’s basketball Horizon League Championship in 2003. I was a senior at Milwaukee and was doing stats. It was an awesome experience as we had 10,000 people in the U.S. Cellular Arena and we jumped up big on Butler early and it was a great game. Before this, the UWM/Butler series was not even close to even. It was a big game and a great atmosphere with everybody storming the court. Then, of course, we went on to the NCAA Tournament. I still maintain that the final shot vs. Notre Dame was partially tipped … though I may be the only one.

“No. 2. The women’s basketball run to the 2009 championship game. We entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed and hosted a first round game on Monday and ended up going to the title game Sunday at Green Bay after some tremendous games. Monday was a win over Youngstown State in Milwaukee. Wednesday we beat Butler in Indianapolis. In that game we scored the final 11 points of regulation to win by one. Friday, we spotted Cleveland State a 14-0 lead in Green Bay, but came back to win that game. In that game, only three players scored for us. It was a wild week, playing five games in eight days (including regular season finale) in three different cities.

“No. 3. The 2006 women’s soccer NCAA Tournament. The 2006 team was a great team to watch. They led preseason No. 1 and national power Portland 2-1 as late as the 79th minute in the regular season. They got an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, waiting until the last announced bracket to see its name called. We then went to Notre Dame and played Michigan to a 0-0 tie and advanced on PKs. If you have never watched a PK shootout with your team’s season on the line … don’t. It’s stressful. The women’s team played to shootouts in the 2005 league title game and NCAA First Round, so I had had my fill. In the second round, we played No. 1 Notre Dame. Despite giving up a goal in the fifth minute, UWM gave them their toughest match of the season, limiting them to just nine shots. It was a great game to watch and a great game for the program to announce its presence in the region and nationally. Also, Kate Megna, a student worker of ours for three years, played both games with a separated shoulder. It was impressive.”

~This field continues to “emerge”, what is your take on social media and how it can be used for the Panthers?

“I think social media, whether it is Twitter or Facebook, is a unique tool to reach out to fans and offer interaction they previously did not have. I think the key to being successful in this area is to offer what the fans want. We have to give them a reason to, not only follow or ‘like’ us, but to do so actively. Twitter is an area where some people follow hundreds of others. If you’ve ever looked at a Twitter feed with 150 people, a lot can get lost. There is no point in tweeting something when it’s just buried in a dense Twitter feed. We need to give people a reason to seek out our department or staff tweets and receive our message. I enjoy giving out prizes to people for trivia questions and whatnot because it generates active interest in what I have to say. More people may follow me or scroll back to my tweets if there is something in it for them. I don’t always have interesting things to tweet, but I can bribe someone to be interested. :)

“With Facebook, it’s the same thing. We need to make sure our message does not blend into the background. It’s a tricky proposition.”

~Any unusual stories that happened to you as an SID in your time at UWM?

“I thought I miscounted Traci Edwards’ career point total once. It was at Wisconsin ... for a TV game on the Big Ten Network … when she was 10 points away from breaking the 24-year-old school record. With so much pressure, I wanted to make sure I was right, so I double-checked my previous work. I then realized she was actually 20 points away. I cursed myself silently and went to inform everybody that the numbers were wrong (I had to tell a lot of people). I returned to my set and returned to quietly cursing myself and wondering how I could have gotten it wrong. During this process, I realized that I was RIGHT. She was 10 points away … You think its embarrassing telling a bunch of people your math was wrong? Try telling them your math was right all along and the last time you came over you were wrong. I always suspected no one focused on the fact that I was right to begin with and they just remembered that I twice came running up to them, out of breath, telling them I was wrong. If you want to hear it told better, ask our radio guy Scott Warras, he loves telling the story.”

~If you could hand-pick a sport for both men and women to add, what would it be?

“That’s a tough question to answer. If money’s not an object, I’d say hockey for both men and women. Hockey a sport that gets people interested. If I called it a ‘niche sport’, some people would be offended. But, it has the same effect. There is a strong hockey culture that I think blends well with college athletics. It allows for a band, a rowdy student section and action. There are surprisingly few college hockey programs, so few, in fact, that there is no Division II. Milwaukee is more of a hockey city than most people know and I think it’s something the students and community would really gravitate to.”

~Favorite sport to cover and why?

“Picking a favorite sport is tough. It’s like a parent picking its favorite child … okay, not really, but I’ve been fortunate to work with so many student-athletes that I have genuinely enjoyed watching play and interacting with that it makes it hard. As women’s basketball contact, I’ve been on the road with the team for almost five months a year. With soccer, I’m around them for about three months and with the larger team, ironically, it makes it easier to get to know who they are. I don’t really know many track and cross country kids, but I have grown a tremendous respect for what they do and their achievements. I’m quietly a big fan our track and field and cross country teams and get excited when they do well. That being said … soccer. It’s one of my favorite sports and our women’s team plays an attractive style of soccer that is fun to watch.”

~Funniest story that happened while on the road?

“SIDs get left behind from time to time. The first time I got left behind (and found out before the team came back for me) was at Illinois State in 2004. I was with women’s soccer and after the game told an unidentified staff member that I would remain in the press box and walk over to Redbird Arena (where the team was showering) when I was done. I finish my story and start walking across an expansive parking lot when I see a bus driving away from the Arena. My first thought was that, despite being in central Illinois, there was a second Wisconsin Coach Lines bus on campus. That evolved into, ‘okay, they are coming to pick me up’. When the bus hit the street and turned the other way … well, I was concerned. My work cell phone battery was almost dead, so I pulled out my personal cell and tried to remember the aforementioned staff member’s phone number. When I did, I got his voicemail. Uh oh … then I called another staff member. His response was, ‘Where are you?’ At this point, I pictured him innocently looking around the bus wondering why I was calling him from the seat behind him. I informed him I was at the field and was hoping they could come back and get me. I have not been left behind since.”

UWM Alum McMahon Moving Closer To Olympic Marathon

UWM alum Dot McMahon just cut a good chunk off of her best-ever time marathon time and seems to be gearing up for a great run at an Olympic berth.

She ran 2:35:02 in the 2008 Olympic Trials but ran 2:31:48 at the highly Grandma's Marathon earlier this month.

You can read the note from the Journal Sentinel here and further details from Runner's World here.

George Karl At College For Kids Event

This is not a direct tie-in to Panther athletics, but I wanted to bring an upcoming UWM event with a sports angle to your attention.

The event – “Celebrating 30 Years of Successful Kids With MVP George Karl” – is Tuesday, June 28 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. It will be held at UWM’s School of Continuing Education, which is on the seventh floor of the Grand Avenue Mall.

The evening benefits UWM’s College for Kids, which is put on each summer by the School of Continuing Education. Former Bucks and current Denver Nuggets coach George Karl has been one of the biggest supporters of this program for the last seven years and will be in attendance at this special event.

The event includes a silent auction (both live and online), a heads or tails raffle, a four-course meal and opportunities to mingle, with proceeds benefiting the SMILE (Sponsorship Money Investing in Lifelong Education) Scholarship program and College for Kids and College for Teens programming.

For more information on the event, go to http://www4.uwm.edu/sce/conference.cfm?id=748.

Those with questions can also contact Liza Longhini at 414-227-3252 or lizal@uwm.edu.

Chad Pierce Interview on Time Warner Sports 32

UWM's Chad Pierce became the 16th player in program history to get drafted when he was selected yesterday by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 38th round.

JP Cadorin from Time Warner Cable Sports 32 stopped by the Panthers Athletic Department to do an interview and I taped it over his shoulder (with permission first, of course). He said to look for it on TWC Sports 32 Tuesday at 6 p.m.

The following comes from the draft story on www.brewers.com, regarding Pierce. "Seid" is Brewers amateur scouting director Bruce Seid.

"Milwaukee did select about a handful of athletes who attended the team's pre-Draft workout Friday. Among those were pitcher David Lucroy, who is the brother of Brewers' catcher Jonathan Lucroy, catcher Dustin Houle and University of Wisconsin Milwaukee product Chad Pierce. Seid said Pierce's strong frame and his 92-mph fastball helped him turn heads during the workout, and the Fond du Lac, Wisc., native will have every opportunity to prove his worth. The 38th-round selection went 6-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 15 starts for the Panthers this season."

The Fond du Lac Reporter, the hometown newspaper of Pierce, also did a nice story which can be accessed HERE.

A Q&A with Track & Field's Samia Taylor

Samia Taylor is in Iowa for the 2011 NCAA Championships, where she will be competing in the triple jump Friday. She is Milwaukee's first national qualifier since 2007 (Nick Gretz, discus) and is looking to become the program's first NCAA Division I women's All-American.

For more information on Samia at the NCAA Championships here

UWM SID Kevin Conway: What are your goals for the NCAA Championships this weekend?

Samia Taylor: “My main goal this weekend (is to finish in the top eight) and be an All-American. On top of that, I would no doubt like to keep PRing, but a big thing would be to go 13.30m (43-7 3/4) or 13.40m (43-11 3/4) to get me to USA Nationals in two weeks. Being at Nationals is always a privilege, but it’s also good to have big goals here because this is where you leave it all on the track.”

KC: How has this season met with your expectations?

ST: “Getting this far is still shocking to me, it still hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I’m here. I feel like I’ve worked hard to get here and just being able to improve in almost every meet, especially since conference, is great. I never would’ve thought I’d go this far, especially this soon. Coach Francis said I'd be here this year, but I kind of looked at him in disbelief. I guess I should listened to him a little more and believed what he was talking about. But, yes, this season has met all the expectations I could’ve asked for. The beginning of the season was a rough start, but I finally got it together outdoor.”

KC: After fouling in your first two jumps at Oregon, what was going through your mind on that third jump? After you qualified for the finals with that jump?

ST: “Everything was going through my mind at that moment. I was telling myself, ‘I didn’t come this far to not mark a jump.’ After those first two jumps, I was a little nervous. Coach Francis, at the moment, had walked away before my last jump in prelims, so I knew I wasn’t the only one disappointed in those first two jumps. When I got onto the runway for my final jump, I knew it was all or nothing. I knew I had to give it my all and land the jump or it was pack my bags and be done for the season. At that moment I just said a little prayer, let everything in my head go, relaxed, then I just got after it. I gave it all I could down that runway and finished the jump. When I got out that pit and seen that white flag to indicate that it was a fair jump I was relieved. I found out that it was a 12.74m (41-9 3/4) jump. That jump got me into the finals, which took a lot of stress off of me.

"Heading into finals I knew I had to go out there, relax and have fun. I knew what I was capable of, so I knew I just needed to go out there and do it. On my first jump in finals I jumped 12.91m (42-4 1/2), which moved me into fifth place. My last two jumps in finals were a little behind that, but in the end that 12.91m ended up getting me sixth place and into nationals. Even to this day it still hasn’t sunk in, but I’m glad everything came together, even though it was on the last jump. :)”

KC: You are hitting your stride heading into nationals, PRing and setting school records at each of your last three meets. How as this recent stretch helped as you get further into post-season competition?

ST: “This last stretch has definitely helped a lot. Being able to PR three meets prior, it gives me the mindset that I know I can continue on this stretch and hopefully bring it home with a huge jump. I know with coming off these performances there shouldn’t be anything holding me back on Friday.”