To me, everything in life deals with numbers one way or another. For the game of basketball, you can knock down a three-point shot or take a step in for only a two-pointer. You can shoot from 30 feet away or you can shoot from 5. Whatever you choose is a game of numbers. The one who succeeds in the end, to get what is considered a “win”, scores the most points or in essence, has the biggest number. 

From 3rd grade through 8th grade I played in PAL basketball, or the Police Associated League, in my hometown. Every year, I would “fill-up the stat sheet” but, those numbers were not always the prettiest. Six measly points, a couple of assists, maybe a rebound or two. But back then, I wasn’t playing for the numbers, I was playing for the excitement. Even if I could only get the ball in the basket three times a game, that was success enough for me! And with this success came happiness and love for the game because it came almost too easily. I had three movements: 1) catch the ball, 2) jump, 3) release. Then if all went well, the ball would go in the hoop. This passion grew as the years went on and my ideas of success began to change but maybe for the better.

By 8th grade it came even easier to me. It made so much more sense now when I looked at what some professionals like to call, "analytics.” Analytics is the study of numbers and how they relate to professional sports players in their everyday careers. This is most recognizable today in Major League Baseball (MLB) by the Oakland Athletics. The General Manager, Billy Beane, looked at the numbers posted by players over their careers and put together a competitive team even though the odds were against him because the team did not have the money that a larger market team would have. This story was told in 2003 by Michael Lewis in the book titled, Moneyball The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. More recently this movie was brought to the big screen by Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in the movie, Moneyball.

“Analytics” in basketball was the exact same for me. I can look at my chances of draining a shot from the corner and compare it to making a layup then see which I could do more consistently. Whichever one would be more beneficial to myself and my team, I would try to score from more often. The same holds true in the National Basketball Association (NBA). With a couple of small calculations and a few simple number crunching strategies, a team could understand their players and the team's best ways to win every game.

As a long time fan of the NBA team, the Boston Celtics, basketball “analytics” and my love for this team were finally connected when the team brought in the coach of the Butler Bulldogs of Butler University, Brad Stevens, to coach the Boston Celtics after long-time Celtics coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers had moved on to a new team, the Los Angeles Clippers. This was a big move for the Boston Celtics and began what NBA teams call the rebuilding process, when a team looks to change its current makeup to a new philosophy, which they believe will help them to reach their ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship.

Brad Stevens brings to the Boston Celtics a sense of a championship-caliber mentality right onto the sidelines of the game. He and I would get along together well, as we both understand the numbers of this game. Either those of pace making, efficiency ratings, or the simple reasons as to why some players have trouble at making their first shot, Brad Stevens is the real deal and his success relies on the numbers of the game. My success in life, relies just as much in the success of comprehending numbers and making decisions from these numbers.