Ken Pomeroy

Last updated
Ken Pomeroy
Education Virginia Tech (BS)
University of Wyoming (MS)
Occupation(s) College basketball statistician, columnist
Years active2002–present
Known forKenPom ratings
Website kenpom.com

Ken Pomeroy is the creator of the college basketball website and statistical archive KenPom. His website includes his College Basketball Ratings, statistics for every NCAA men's Division I basketball team, with archives dating back to the 2002 season, as well as a blog about current college basketball. His work on tempo-based basketball statistics is compared by many to the work of Bill James in baseball. [1] As of the spring of 2012, Pomeroy is also an instructor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah. [2]

Contents

Pomeroy earned his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech, and received a graduate degree in atmospheric science from Wyoming. [3] After working as a meteorologist for the U.S. government, he quit that job to focus full-time on his website. [4] He previously worked with the Houston Rockets, teaming up with noted advanced statistics user, general manager Daryl Morey. [5]

Pomeroy has written articles in The New York Times , ESPN.com, and Sports Illustrated . He was a co-author of The 2008-09 College Basketball Prospectus and has been an author for the past four years.

Kenpom.com

Pomeroy's website has helped explain basketball on a possession by possession level. His peers have taken to calling him "Doctor Po-Po." [6] As well as maintaining and calculating a variety of statistics on his website, including tempo-free statistics, Pomeroy also maintains data on non-numeric factors such as offensive and defensive style of play. [7] [3] One such measure that Pomeroy uses is called log5, a proprietary blend of data for projecting the likelihood of teams advancing in conference and national tournaments. [8] The equations for Pomeroy's log5 projections [9] were originally created by Bill James. [10]

Throughout the season, Pomeroy continually updates his KenPom ratings for all 363 Division I men's basketball programs with metrics such as offensive and defensive efficiency, tempo, and pace. [11] [12] Although his site was more of a personal venture when it was founded, Pomeroy's research is used by numerous college basketball teams in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage. [3]

The accuracy of Pomeroy's rankings in predicting game outcomes has been noted by popular newspapers and blogs such as FiveThirtyEight, [13] Mediaite, [14] and The Wall Street Journal . [15]

Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim mentioned Pomeroy in a press conference rant about analytics on February 20, 2020, mistakenly attributing his consternation about certain stats to Pomeroy. [16]

Personal life

Pomeroy graduated from West Potomac High School in Alexandria, Virginia in 1991. In 2017, he was a resident of Salt Lake City. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Boeheim</span> American basketball coach (born 1944)

James Arthur Boeheim Jr. is an American former college basketball coach and current Special Assistant to the Athletic Director at Syracuse University. From 1976 until 2023, he was the head coach of the Syracuse Orange men's team of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Boeheim guided the Orange to ten Big East Conference regular season championships, five Big East tournament championships, and 34 NCAA tournament appearances, including five Final Four appearances and three appearances in the national title game. In those games, the Orangemen lost to Indiana in 1987, and to Kentucky in 1996, before defeating Kansas in 2003 with All-American Carmelo Anthony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports rating system</span>

A sports rating system is a system that analyzes the results of sports competitions to provide ratings for each team or player. Common systems include polls of expert voters, crowdsourcing non-expert voters, betting markets, and computer systems. Ratings, or power ratings, are numerical representations of competitive strength, often directly comparable so that the game outcome between any two teams can be predicted. Rankings, or power rankings, can be directly provided, or can be derived by sorting each team's ratings and assigning an ordinal rank to each team, so that the highest rated team earns the #1 rank. Rating systems provide an alternative to traditional sports standings which are based on win–loss–tie ratios.

The selection process for college basketball's NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments determine which teams will enter the tournaments and their seedings and matchups in the knockout bracket. Currently, thirty-two (32) teams gain automatic entry through winning their conference's championship. The remaining teams rely on the selection committee to award them an at-large bid in the tournament. The selection process primarily takes place on Selection Sunday and the days leading up to it. Selection Sunday is also when the men's brackets and seeds are released to the public. Beginning in 2022, the women's championship brackets and seeds are also announced on Sunday. Prior to the expansion of the bracket from 64 to 68 teams the women's championship brackets and seeds were announced one day later, on Selection Monday.

Statistics in basketball are kept to evaluate a player's or a team's performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball</span> Intercollegiate mens basketball program representing Saint Louis University

The Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Saint Louis University. They compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The head coaching position is currently held by Travis Ford. Chaifetz Arena is home to the Billikens. The Billikens have reached the championship game of the NIT tournament four times and have won it once (1948). They have appeared in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament ten times, most recently in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Kennedy</span> American college basketball coach

Andy Kennedy is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the UAB Blazers men's basketball team. He was head men's basketball coach at the University of Mississippi from 2006 to 2018. Kennedy was a player in high school at both Winston Academy and Louisville High School. He was a 1986 Parade All-American and he went on to play for North Carolina State and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). On March 20, 2020, he was announced as the seventh head coach of UAB.

The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is an intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The program is classified in the NCAA Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season</span> Basketball season

The 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2008, and ended with the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament's championship game on April 6, 2009, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The season saw six different teams achieve the AP #1 ranking during the year. Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin was the dominant individual performer, sweeping National Player of the Year honors. The season began with North Carolina becoming the first unanimous preseason #1 team, and ended with the Tar Heels dominating the NCAA tournament en route to their fifth NCAA title. UNC won its six NCAA tournament games by double digits, and by an average of 19.8 points per game. Junior Wayne Ellington was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

The 2005 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament took place between Saturday, March 5, 2006 and Tuesday, March 8, 2006 at the John Q. Hammons Arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season</span> Basketball season

The 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 9, 2009, and ended with the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament's championship game on April 5, 2010, on the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The opening round occurred on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, followed by first and second rounds on Thursday through Sunday, March 18–21, 2010. Regional games were played on Thursday through Sunday, March 25–28, 2010, with the Final Four played on Saturday and Monday, April 3 and 5, 2010.

The 2009–10 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Jim Boeheim, serving for his 34th year. The team played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Key contributors included seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins, juniors Rick Jackson and Wesley Johnson, sophomores Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph and freshmen Mookie Jones, DaShonte Riley, James Southerland and Brandon Triche.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009–10 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2009–10 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. This was head coach Bruce Weber's seventh season at the school. They are members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Assembly Hall. The Illini finished the season 21–15, 10–8 in Big Ten play and lost in the semifinals of the 2010 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament. They were invited to the 2010 National Invitation Tournament where they advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to Dayton.

The 2009–10 Big East Conference men's basketball season was the 31st in conference history, and involved its 16 full-time member schools. Syracuse captured the regular season title, its eighth overall, and second outright. However, West Virginia won the 2010 Big East men's basketball tournament, their first.

The Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings are a series of predictive ratings of men's college basketball teams published free-of-charge online by Ken Pomeroy. They were first published in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012–13 Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2012–13 Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team represented Grambling State University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tigers, led by first year head coach Joseph Price, played their home games at the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center and were members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They finished the season 0–28, 0–18 in SWAC play to finish in last place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SWAC tournament to Alabama A&M to become the eighth Division I team in NCAA history to finish a season winless.

Drew Cannon is an American statistician and sports writer who currently works on the Boston Celtics staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013–14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2013–14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies men's basketball team represented Oakland University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Golden Grizzlies, led by 30th year head coach Greg Kampe, played their home games at the Athletics Center O'rena and were first-year members of the Horizon League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 Southeastern Conference men's basketball season</span> Sports season

The 2021–22 Southeastern Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2021, followed by the start of the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season on November 9. Conference play started in late December and will end in March, after which 14 member teams will participate in the 2022 SEC men's basketball tournament at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The tournament champion is guaranteed a selection to the 2022 NCAA tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 WAC men's basketball tournament</span> Postseason mens basketball tournament

The 2023 WAC men's basketball tournament is the postseason men's basketball tournament of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) for the 2022–23 season. The conference tournament is scheduled to be played from March 7–11, 2023, at Michelob ULTRA Arena and the Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada near Las Vegas. The first round will be played on March 7 at Michelob ULTRA Arena with the remaining rounds March 9–11 at the Orleans Arena. The winner of the conference tournament, Grand Canyon, received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 WAC women's basketball tournament</span> Postseason mens basketball tournament

The 2023 WAC women's basketball tournament is the postseason women's basketball tournament of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) for the 2022–23 season. The conference tournament is scheduled to be played from March 7–11, 2023, at Michelob ULTRA Arena and the Orleans Arena in Paradise, Nevada near Las Vegas. The first round will be played on March 6 at Michelob ULTRA Arena with the remaining rounds March 8–11 at the Orleans Arena. The winner of the conference tournament will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

References

  1. ↑ "KenPom's 'profound' influence on the CBB betting market". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  2. ↑ "Ken R Pomeroy - Teaching - Faculty Profile - The University of Utah". faculty.utah.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  3. 1 2 3 Thamel, Pete (2011-03-23). "Meteorologist Becomes a Go-To Guy". The New York Times . Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  4. ↑ "NWS Cheyenne, WY: Office Staff". crh.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  5. ↑ "Moneyball and the Houston Rockets «". grantland.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  6. ↑ "The Valley Ledger - Missouri Valley Conference - MVC - Men's Basketball Coverage". valleyledger.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  7. ↑ Brennan, Eamonn (2011-03-15), "Field Notes: Don't forget your tempo-free", ESPN.com , ESPN , retrieved 2011-03-16
  8. ↑ Pomeroy, Ken (March 6, 2012). "Log5 Part 5: Woulda, coulda, shoulda". kenpom.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  9. ↑ Pomeroy, Ken (February 27, 2012). "Log 5 season: winning is everything". kenpom.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  10. ↑ Miller, Steven J. (2012-03-23). "A justification of the log 5 rule for winning percentages" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-23.
  11. ↑ Pomeroy, Ken. "National Efficiency". kenpom.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  12. ↑ Pomeroy, Ken (November 29, 2006). "Ratings Explanation". kenpom.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  13. ↑ Silver, Nate (2011-03-14), "Talent Is Nice but Luck Is Vital", FiveThirtyEight , The New York Times , retrieved 2011-03-16, For instance, Ken Pomeroy's ratings — which are better at predicting the outcome of tournament games than the Ratings Percentage Index formula used by the tournament's selection committee  — regard Washington as the 15th-best team in the country and Florida as the 19th best.
  14. ↑ Davis, Glenn (2010-04-05), "College Hoops Blogger Ken Pomeroy Is One Game From Looking Like A Genius", Mediaite , retrieved 2011-03-16, Using several advanced formulas calculating team efficiency on both offense and defense, Pomeroy has had Duke ranked #1 in his personal college basketball team rankings for a long time now. For example, he still had them at #1 a month ago, when we released our "top Internet-heavy sportswriters" list, included Pomeroy, and in discussing his rankings said Duke didn't deserve to be #1. Whoops. Pomeroy was pretty much on an island in ranking Duke first – they haven't topped either major top-25 poll at any point this season – but he'll be sitting pretty if Krzyzewski's squad vindicates him tonight.
  15. ↑ Bialik, Carl (2008-04-10), "Ken Pomeroy's Winning Bracket", The Wall Street Journal , retrieved 2011-03-16, More than three weeks ago, college-basketball number cruncher Ken Pomeroy calculated that Kansas was the best team in the country, and Memphis was second best. Six games later, Kansas is the national champion and Memphis is runner-up. That earns Mr. Pomeroy a victory in my March Madness contest pitting stats guys against media analysts against the consensus picks of fans.
  16. ↑ Walder, Seth (2020-02-20). "Here are the analytics Jim Boeheim cited in postgame rant (we think)". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  17. ↑ Goon, Kyle (2017-01-16). "College basketball: Salt Lake City stat guru Ken Pomeroy hopes to influence selection committee". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.