Data Science and Sports Analytics Expert Ken Jee [Podcast #135]

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On this week’s episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Ken Jee. Ken’s a Data Scientist. He’s also a Sports Analytics practitioner who works with US Team Golf and USA Basketball.

Ken hosts the excellent Ken’s Nearest Neighbors podcast and the Exponential Athlete podcast.

We talk about:

– How an injury pushed Ken out of pro sports and into data science

– How Ken explains his statistical insights to coaches and players to help them improve their performance

– Why Ken doesn’t think building projects is all that useful anymore. “Data Scientists should instead build products.”

– How Ken starts and ends each day with meditation, and writes down all the ideas that pop into his head after each session.

– Ken’s observation that: “Who is the best suited to excel in a world where AI tools are prominent? Probably the people who are building them. People in the data science domain, people who are coding – they’re the most prepared to use these tools for other things.”

Can you guess what song I’m playing on my bass during the intro? It’s from a 2006 dance song, and it was originally played on a synth.

Also, I want to thank the 9,779 kind people who support our charity each month, and who make this podcast possible. You can join them and support our mission at: https://www.freecodecamp.org/donate

Links we talk about during our conversation:

Ken’s Nearest Neighbors Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEJMMRoTIHJ8vG8q_EwqCg

The Exponential Athelete Podcast, also hosted by Ken: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkSd12rP282takuFJKsAsYlHdpdEDhuE

The Founders podcast, which both Ken and Quincy listen to. James Dyson episode: https://www.founderspodcast.com/episodes/88384801/senra-james-dyson-against-the-odds-an-autobiography

Anna Wintour episode: https://www.founderspodcast.com/episodes/58741411/senra-326-anna-wintour

San Antonio caves that Quincy visited: https://naturalbridgecaverns.com/

Chapters

⌨️ (0:00:00) Introduction and Background
⌨️ (0:03:45) Early Days and Interest in Sports
⌨️ (0:07:17) Transition to Data Science
⌨️ (0:12:13) Return to Grad School and Introduction to Coding
⌨️ (0:15:59) Sports Analytics and Career Path
⌨️ (0:20:34) Psychological and Process Perspectives in Sports
⌨️ (0:24:48) The Symphony of Data Analytics in Sports
⌨️ (0:31:44) Learning Data Science and Kaggle
⌨️ (0:41:49) Understanding Data Science
⌨️ (0:42:23) The Tools and Specialization in Data Science
⌨️ (0:45:26) The Importance of Asking the Right Questions
⌨️ (0:51:13) Gaining Knowledge and Insights through Reading and Podcasts
⌨️ (0:58:53) The Power of an Outsider’s Perspective
⌨️ (1:06:59) Enjoying Nature in Texas
⌨️ (1:15:32) Building Products for Others to Use
⌨️ (1:24:41) Introspection before Action for Career Satisfaction
⌨️ (1:25:16) Effective Communication of Statistical Concepts
⌨️ (1:32:29) The Value of Heuristics and Long-Form Content
⌨️ (1:40:48) Networking and Conferences in the Data Science Field
⌨️ (1:47:45) Optimism for the Future of Data Science Read More freeCodeCamp.org