Ben Guest’s Blog

Burgandy

2008-05-08T17:42:03Z

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Deck

2008-05-06T12:06:52Z

Zaza don't want none...

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Data

2008-05-03T22:47:37Z

Good article by the Freakonomics guys on the use of stats in basketball, specifically with the Celtics:

What’s the most efficient shot to take besides a layup? Easy, says Zarren: a three-pointer from the corner. What’s one of the most misused, misinterpreted statistics? “Turnovers are way more expensive than people think,” Zarren says. That’s because most teams focus on the points a defense scores from the turnover but don’t correctly value the offense’s opportunity cost — that is, the points it might have scored had the turnover not occurred.

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The 12th Man

2008-04-10T12:24:41Z

I like these "hypothetical" situations, so much so that I may try to incorporate them into the summer training. At the very least, I've found next month's blog topic. In any event, here is another one:

You are the head coach of the high school basketball team in a small town. You have 12 uniforms (spots) to give out. The 12th spot comes down to a) Johnny, a hard working kid with a good attitude and no basketball ability who comes from a poor family or b) Tommy, a kid with some talent and an irritating me-first attitude who is the son of an influential school board member.

Who makes the team?

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Kansas

2008-04-08T13:11:21Z

Told y'all Kansas was going to win. Now Whitney owes me a free lunch.

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March Madness

2008-03-21T22:14:47Z

Here are my picks starting with the Elite Eight (I'm too lazy to type in all 64):

UNC beats Lousiville

Kansas beats Wisconsin

Pitt beats Texas

UCLA beats Duke

Championship Game:

Kansas beats UCLA

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MTC Week in Review

2008-03-07T14:19:50Z

Received the check from Morgan Freeman's Rock River Foundation for MacBook's for the incoming first-years. Here is the thank-you movie we made last year:

Thank You Rock River

Updated the MTC website (profile, photo and alumni).

Updated the MTC YouTube page.

Worked on the MTC Alumni Contact page (not yet ready for prime-time).

Interviewed applicants.

After being turned down by Southern Studies (because we have very little money), continued the search for a filmmaker to document the MTC Summer School (for very little money).

Congratulations to first-year Danielle Hall, who is an assistant coach on the 2A state championship winning H.W. Byers Lady Lions basketball team. It is rare indeed for an MTCer to win a state championship in their first year of coaching.

Danielle Hall, MTC Class of 2007

Finally, congratulations to first-year Angela Doyle, who was chosen by her peers as New Teacher of the Year at Holly Springs High School.

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The Last Shot

2007-10-26T14:45:00Z

In the spring of 1993, my senior year of high school, I interned for Senator Kennedy, taking the train everyday from Baltimore to DC and back again.

Ted

One evening, I picked up Harper's Magazine from the Union Station magazine stand
(Hudson News), intrigued by a cover story on basketball. It was a long article about a high school team from Coney Island that included a young Stephon Marbury. The author, Darcy Frey, later turned this article into an acclaimed book: The Last Shot.

The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams

Darcy Frey

I've often wondered what happened to the three high school seniors who were the focus of the book (Marbury is a freshman sidekick to the three seniors). Here is the answer. Key quote:

"Each year, 500,000 or so young men play high-school basketball in this country. Each year, less than 1 percent of them get a Division I scholarship."

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