Embarrassed that he wasn’t positive about his own math on the fly, Mark Pope asked for an assist.
“Who’s got a calculator?” the Kentucky basketball coach inquired after his Wildcats defeated Bucknell 100-72 in Rupp Arena on Saturday evening. “What’s 20 divided by 11? … It’s 1.8 what?”
Pope was trying to figure out exactly how efficient the leading scorer of the night, Koby Brea , had been in his second game as a UK basketball player. The 20 was Brea’s point total. The 11, his number of shots from the field. Since he attempted no free throws and committed no turnovers — the two other variables when trying to figure a player’s individual “points per possession” number — the math was rather simple. So what is 20 divided by 11?
“1.8,” a reporter replied.
“It’s 1.8 what?” Pope asked.
“1.81,” was the response.
“1.818 or …” Pope said, seeking further clarification.
Yes, the correct answer was 1.818.
“So it’s 1.82 then!” Pope said excitedly, to laughter from the crowd. “Don’t cheat my guy! He’s a 1.82 points per possession. Guys, if you don’t know analytics, that’s sick . That’s crazy.”