Basketball (or NBA only) analytic conference?

[Crow]

Floated the idea. This can be a place for conversation about it, if interested. No commitments required yet, explore first.

Twitter buzz starting here https://mobile.twitter.com/VJL_bball/st ... 976642?p=v

If you like the idea, pass it around.

[Crow]

Just a hypothetical at this point, but one version of this idea would be 2 days in Vegas, at Summer League arena, UNLV campus or a meeting room nearby. Technical workshops, panels about tools, papers, panels about industry performance, new ideas, etc.

Lets first see how many say you are interested in attending and hopefully helping.

Not sure if it fits my schedule but wanted to at least try the idea a trial starting push.

[vjl110]

I love the idea of doing something in Vegas around the time of Summer League. That said... although I really would like to set something up, I can't play a major role in anything this summer, since I will probably be in Tanzania in June and July.

[nileriver]

There is already a conference in Vegas during summer league: http://www.sportsmanagementworldwide.co ... conference. Not necessarily analytics focused though...

[Crow]

I remembered the scout school but forgot about this one. The dates could be shifted obviously, though the character of the events would be notably different as you indicated.

It might be pretty late to plan for this year. But the first could be small and casual.

So far modest response.

[Mike G]

It would be good to see suggestions of what can't be done in this forum, but could be done in person.
Also -- Las Vegas in July sounds kinda hellish. If you ever go outside, that is.

[steveshea]

I would be interested in an academic style basketball analytics conference.

My favorite academic conferences have been small (40-60 participants). Those kind of numbers allow for everyone to meet everyone and for genuine conversation and collaboration.

I've also enjoyed conferences that have been stretched out and slower pace. I remember one conference in the mountains of Colorado. It was a week long. There were no talks in the morning. Instead, groups went out for hikes, engaged in casual conversation, or collaborated on some project. While talks are informative, packing the event with talks doesn't leave much room to build relationships and to collaborate. This is especially true if the event is only 2 days.

I'll also add that I can host the event in NH at my college. One benefit to this is that the group would not have to pay for the venue. Of course, NH is not as attractive as other locations.

[Crow]

Vegas in July is usually pretty hot (but dry hot). Many will stay indoors between 9am and 9pm except for brief walks to and from air conditioned buildings (or car or taxi rides).

NH would be nice in summer and fall. An option, especially with cost reduction and potentially organizational leadership. Conferences beyond 2 days would be pushing it for many I'd think. But perhaps more than 2 days would be needed if skill building workshops were emphasized. It would also be possible for the flexible to come earlier and / or stay later if they wanted more social or serious relationship building time.

More time to percolate.

[EvanZ]

I like the idea of an "Unconference" where people come prepared to give talks and the participants vote for the ones they want to see (assuming there wasn't enough space/time for everything). Talks that aren't voted could participate in a lightning session or something like that. It's pretty informal and there aren't any "Grand Prizes" or anything like that. It's just about learning and discussion.

I like the idea of Vegas too. I always wanted to go to SL, and maybe something like this would give me that extra push to do it.

(I mean, I'd prefer Sonoma or Napa, heh.)

[NateTG]

...
(I mean, I'd prefer Sonoma or Napa, heh.)

Having in been in Sonoma, and in Vegas, I've got to agree.

[Crow]

Zero response to date from very prominent media writers and websites (out of 2-3 dozen attempted notices).

Forecast: cloudy. Probably another 1-3 years of Sloan disappointment or semi-disappointment before they might lead / assist on this.

Could go without. May have to until there is something solid to show / join I guess.



What about virtual conferencing? Not the same exactly, but some options there. For tech workshops, papers, topic discussions. Courses just need leaders offering content to folks and feedback to questions. Papers can be dropped here. Authors could announce a time for a live chat. Topics can also be done as a live typed chat or possibly as a audio or AV chat, if people think that makes it better. Stuff could be turned into podcasts. Several participants here make / do podcasts. Why not use more? Options.

[ampersand5]

its funny/sad how the rise of sloan has weakened the basketball analytics community.
Personally, I don't think anything can be done right now - most of the prominent people involved with basketball analytics are working for NBA teams and not in a position to really do anything. At the same time, any interest that would come from outside parties is already captured by Sloan. In theory, Kevin Pelton and Neil Paine (and maybe Alamar) would be the best people to get something going, but seeing how they all work for ESPN, I don't think theres any space for them to do that.

While I like the idea of a conference, I do not think its the most pressing concern right now. I think creating some sort of recognized affiliation for APBR would be a more important stepping stone. Creating an organized database of material and a proper archive would help spread knowledge in a far more effective way. Clearly, new ideas are important, but I do not think that academic papers are what drives the development of basketball analytics. Being on this forum is more about understanding and grappling with the body of knowledge that already exists than always being on the search for something new. In my opinion, most academic writing on basketball has failed to achieve anything. I think the largest reason for this is that most authors have not been involved in the community and consequently, do not tie their research to the large body of information in front of us. Unfortunately, after most articles are published, the author moves on and that paper is largely forgotten and not utilized.

[Crow]

APBR is a organization that predates APBRmetrics board.

There was a APBRmetrics file group for awhile but it was lightly used and stopped getting adds 6 yrs ago.
A few folks have suggested building a contemporary database but it has never happened.

[Crow]

A few people publicly liked the idea of a conference or un-conference. I won't be testing the idea further at this time. If someone else has a vision and wants to try to sell / organize it, have at it.

[vjl110]

Clearly, new ideas are important, but I do not think that academic papers are what drives the development of basketball analytics. Being on this forum is more about understanding and grappling with the body of knowledge that already exists than always being on the search for something new. In my opinion, most academic writing on basketball has failed to achieve anything. I think the largest reason for this is that most authors have not been involved in the community and consequently, do not tie their research to the large body of information in front of us. Unfortunately, after most articles are published, the author moves on and that paper is largely forgotten and not utilized.

Couldn't agree with this more.