Day 3 Recap of the 2020 Virtual Conference from the Student Perspective

Day 3 of SBC had a bit of a different feel compared to the previous two days as the different topics began to have more application. Jeff Fellenzer’s final session talked about how to approach interviews provided some more great insight on how to successfully interview for jobs, providing a nice bowtie on the theme of Jeff’s sessions across the week. We then got our first deep dive in the form of scouting and analytics, where Charles Dube-Brias led us through a long film session, showing us what sorts of things we should look for in film study, as well as teaching us about the different actions that we should know to properly study film.

Following lunch, Neil Olshey joined Beau Estes and provided great insight on the requirements to make it in the industry and more specifically his story to find his way in the NBA. Then, the most exciting part of the day to most people began with students being split up into groups to begin preparations for “mock free agency” that will occur on Day 4 of the event. Each group was assigned to a team, and was required to assign roles, prepare multiple free agent plans, set timelines, and evaluate other team’s positions in the market, so as to fully prepare themselves for the free agency period that is sure to provide many challenges and unforeseen issues. This experience is sure to be one of the most valuable throughout the week, as getting experience with these types of situations can be a great benefit to someone in the future, whether it be in practical application or in an interview scenario where the experience can be discussed as an interesting and beneficial exercise.

The overarching theme in Day 3 of the Sports Business Classroom was “putting yourself in the best position” for success.  While the content of today’s lectures touched on this theme consistently – from Professor Fellenzer’s guidance on resume buzz words and being specific in accomplishments, to Neil Olshey’s message of being unique and providing value through creativity – I was particularly impressed with my Miami Heat teammates in this regard. Each member of the group was eager to get started, open to ideas, and diligent about organization and planning, i.e., putting us in the best position to perform well.  As has been said each day of SBC so far, networking with each other is really important, and I think the assignment has provided the perfect medium to make that happen.  

What an incredible day this was! After two days of lectures (again: was not bored by any minute or second of it) of learning the basics of the salary cap, analytics, scouting and media, it was so cool to finally get to the meat of it with the mock free agency and breaking down game film of some of the top free agents for our group assignment. It was so cool to finally meet my teammates and getting down to business to figure out how we can make our team a championship contender.  I’ve done many group assignments outside of basketball, but this one in particular is one of the most fun and most educational experience I’ve had. I’m so looking forward to doing more with my teammates.

TODAY WAS MY FAVORITE DAY!  This week as all coming full circle when talking to our guest speakers and presenters.  Jeff started today talking about our day 2 takeaways being “many roads, many goals, and position yourself for opportunities.  Through all of these stories I’m noticing a pattern of people that just worked hard and had impeccable timing.  They say luck is merely when preparation meets opportunity and all of the people we’ve come in contact with has had a sprinkle of this happening.  Jeff’s stories about John Wooden and detailing their relationship was cool to hear.  I’ve never heard a bad word about John and wish I had the opportunity to have a chat with such an outstanding guy.  John’s 7 point creed is a note I will certainly carry with me moving forward.

YES!  We got into the scouting practicum today and I could listen to Charles Dube-Brais talk hoops all day long.  Understanding contexts of team sets, schemes, and philosophies is something Charles made sure to emphasize.  As a guy that has done a fair share of coaching, I felt very much in my natural habitat watching his breakdowns.  I love analyzing teams and players, so I tried to soak up as much of this information from Charles as possible.  We had an interesting conversation about Emmanuel Mudiay which I thought was a perfect discussion point.  He is a guy that has plenty to discuss being that he seemed to have all the tools of an all-star level guard.  Great session!

I feel like Neil Olshey was sent here to speak with me personally! …ha, It was really inspiring to hear that he didn’t get his big opportunity until the age of 38.  I often struggle with thinking my time has passed trying to find my way in the sports industry.  I’ve worked on the corporate side at Sony Pictures but my love for sports has never waned.  Often times I wonder if I can crossover, but in my spirit, I know there is a place me.  Neil spoke directly to that and his story hit me differently as I try to transition careers.  Neil simply being around the game because he loved it made room for his gifts.  He had great insight regarding his path but the authenticity in his message was a joy to witness.

The scouting analytics deep dive was terrific!  Likely the most anticipated part of the week as guys were fired up to work kin a mock free agency type setting.  This exercise is extremely fun to do and I’m happy I get a chance to team up with some guys and run a franchise.  All of my love for basketball is wrapped into this exercise and I’m excited to see how we turn out.  I’m competitive and we were handed the Clippers.  I’m definitely channeling my inner Steve Ballmer!  He doesn’t play to lose!

To wrap up the night I got to speak with two amazing ladies in Renee Montgomery and Swin Cash.  There are no words to really describe the bravery and admiration I have for the steps she is taking to make change.  It is incredibly tough for an athlete to walk away from their sport.  Yet alone while still being young and able to play!  She is on a mission that I highly respect and honor.  Salute Renee! 

I told Swin about my one of my life goals of wanting to build a foundation helping kids in my city do college tours.  Often times kids need to see it and feel it to know it’s real. College should be a realistic option for them, and I want kids to know they can do it.  Touring colleges can completely alter a kid’s thought process and I want to help change their views.  I’ll be a happy camper if I can even get one kid to believe and strive.  But I asked Swin about how she started her foundation considering I wanted to start one.  She had a terrific story and I enjoyed listening.  It was motivating to hear her purpose.  I’ve been very fortunate several ways in my life, so I just want to pay it forward somehow on this earth. The youth is where impact can certainly be felt.  LET’S GO DAY 4!!!

Today was the best day yet of the SBC Virtual Conference. We started the day off with our last class with Jeff where we learned more about resumes, and the role of the interview. We learned effective strategies to help us show who we are and how we can communicate that we are a potential valuable asset.

We then got into the Scouting Practicum with Coach Charles Dube-Brais who helped us walk through some common NBA sets, as well as what he looks for when breaking down video from a front office perspective. Having experience at the collegiate level, it was a great comparison to see what is similar and different when breaking down film of a player.

The SBC Summit was with Neil Olshey who was awesome and super open in his comments, recommendations, and answers to our questions. He had a lot of great advice I will be taking and putting into practice, but one that stuck out was when he said in regards to NBA Executives, “We are not looking for Pen Pals. Bring something to the table”. It is always a great opportunity to hear from a current GM in the league, and was a session I will long remember from this conference.

Lastly, we finally got to work on our Free Agency Simulation Group Project and the scope of it, as well as the breadth of it, is really something. Lots of planning and working together to get our whole group on the same page, as well as laying out multiple plans of what we could do once Free Agency opens. It is going to be very interesting to see how it turns out tomorrow afternoon.

Day 3 and the War Rooms are ready! 

Day 3 of Sports Business Classroom was a whirlwind. The scouting practicum could’ve never ended and I would be perfectly content. I love diving into film and analyzing players, trying to get an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. 

Day 3 was one of the most engaging and fulfilling experience so far. Jobs 301 by Professor Fellenzer was an appropriate cap to the series. It provided real insight on how to project myself on a resume, before being authentic and nailing the interview. Next, the Scouting Practicum by Coach Dube-Brais, Seth Partnow, and Dave Dufour delved into how to interpret film and identify tendencies. To have GM Neil Olshey, who has worked up from the bottom to get to his standing, talk about his experiences and give us advice on the journey ahead was more than I could ask for. Finally, being able to compile all of the lectures and apply it to a mock free agency was exciting and really put us in the shoes of a NBA front office. Let’s hope the best team wins.

Another busy day at Sports Business Classroom! As always, day 3 was started off with an intro session from Larry Coon to prepare us for the day. After that, we jumped into Jobs 301 with Jeff Fellenzer, this time being focused on how to nail an interview. Next was the scouting practicum, led by Charles Dube-Brais. During this session, Charles took us through some of the most commonly run sets in the NBA and also showed us how a scout breaks down film of NBA players, using Fred VanVleet, D.J. Augustine and Emmanuel Mudiay as examples. Day 3’s SBC Summit was with Neil Olshey, who took us through his unusual path to the top of the Portland Trail Blazers front office. After the summit, we started our Mock Free Agency, where all of the students broke off into their individual teams to prepare the best free agency plan for that team until Larry gave the day 3 recap. The night’s AMA guests were Renee Montgomery, Swin Cash and Bernie Lee, and Charles, Jeff, Dave DuFour, Seth Partnow and Beau Estes were available for office hours.

As with every day of this conference so far, day 3 exceeded my expectations.

It was so great getting to listen to Charles walk us through offensive sets and what he looks for when scouting players. A deep knowledge and understanding of common offensive sets is incredibly important to scouting not only teams, but individual players as well—and observing how effective they are within that offense. This is an aspect of my job with the Sparks that I have struggled with, having not had any D1 playing experience. However, I feel much more confident now after listening to Charles’ session that I will be able to develop this skill.

One common theme I have found throughout most of the guest speakers is how they all had to hustle at the start of their career. Everyone who has been brought in got to where they are today in a strikingly diverse amount of ways. That being said—however different their journeys were, the common thread that links all their stories is their initial drive and investment in the not-so-glamorous aspects of their jobs early on. Wes talked about his years spent grinding as an advanced scout. Neil Olshey spoke yesterday about how many years it took him to eventually transition his career into a front office position. One takeaway from these stories to me is that the early years of your career are extremely important to laying a solid foundation for success moving forward. That drive and hustle that both Neil and Wes exemplified early on to eventually reach their goals is extremely significant. It was a fantastic learning lesson for someone like myself who is in that early career stage now.

Wow, I’m halfway through the experience and I’m loving every minute of it. The scouting deep dive Dave DuFour and Seth Partnow are running is the real deal. They’re both showing the importance of having an open mind when evaluating talent and it’s shown me how important it is to gain a better understanding of the salary cap.  What I’ve learned midway through the program is I have a long way to go and they’re many different ways to get into the industry. Neil Olshey of the Portland Trailblazers left me with two key tidbits:

1. “You’re only as good at your job as your willingness to be fired”
2. If your mentality is GM or bust, get off the call.  

Day 3 just kept getting better. Being able to sit with an actual coach and see how he scouts and how league professionals dive into players and teams. Then being able to break into our teams and look at free agency. I learned so much from my peers and was able to collaborate with them to just become better. My highlight was being able to learn from Bernie and ask him questions. I didn’t know what agents really go through and to get their foot in the door, but he was awesome to work with.

Whoa, Nelly! Day three of the Sports Business Classroom was spectacular in both is breadth of information but also its depth of knowledge. Building upon the mantra of previous days, positioning yourself for success was stressed time and time again as we moved through the day’s classes and lectures. What was made clear, however, was that success is not easily defined.

Success on a basketball court is easily measurable. It shows up first and foremost in the win/loss column. Seth Partnow, Dave DuFour, and Charles Dubé-Brias provided a video scouting session that helped me to better understand what happens during an NBA play and how that play can lead to success. Analytics, more generally, have exposed places on the basketball court that provide better value that others and, if exploited, lead to measurable success.

However, listening to Niel Olshey speak in the SBC Summit One-on-One was eye opening. Human Beings, apparently, aren’t as easily calculated as numbers. Olshey spoke candidly about his early experiences in life. These experiences included being broke, overworked, and many times underappreciated. Some would have referred to a 35 year old making little money as a failure. However, these experiences put him on the path to the position of President of Basketball Operations for the Portland Trailblazers. Olshey never had aspirations of becoming a General Manager or the President of Basketball Ops for an NBA team. He was able to define success through the work that he put in and the lives that he touched. As he stated, he didn’t plan to work in an NBA front office, he just “loved ball.” Neil Olshey, was able to position himself for success because he wasn’t worried about the destination. He didn’t define success as a singular end goal. He loved basketball and chased that passion. Jeff Fellenzer started the day speaking about success. He brought in a diagram of former UCLA Head Coach John Wooden’s famous Pyramid of Success. The things listed in his pyramid are not positions to hold or possessions to acquire. Fellenzer provided a quote from John Wooden stating simply, “success is peace of mind.

Hearing Charles Dube-Brais made the whole conference worth it. The coaching side is the path I’m most interested in and he sold me even more on it. I could listen to him talk basketball all day. Thank you for inviting him to speak. I tried to take advantage of all the time I could with him.