Alex Rucker is the Director of Analytics for the Toronto Raptors. As a contractor for the team, he is tasked with, among other things, interpreting advanced stats and the SportVu camera system output and communicating the findings of his team to the coaching staff and management. This description is unlikely to do his position justice, but hopefully the podcast does. It’s a really great episode, and Alex was very open with his role, the point of it and the process he undergoes, making for a really interesting and informative half hour.
*What is his job and what does he do?
*Why are advanced stats important?
*What is the SportVu camera system, and why have the Raptors invested in it?
*What type of information does Alex find in the mountains of data?
*What is the process for getting the findings from the stat level to the GM/coach/player level?
*Is UBC better than Ryerson in the CIS this year? (YES! YES! YES!)
*Where to start if you’re an interested NBA fan who wants to start looking at “better” stats/
*Much, much more.
Grab the iTunes feed or the plain old feed. You can also download the file (26:49, 9MB). Or just listen below:
