We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marcellus Bowie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Marcellus thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
While working for Nike I realized that there was a real need for correct and consistent statistical tracking in the amateur athletic ranks. Coaches and athletes would inflate stats in newspapers, MaxPreps, and on social media sites to gain increased attention. It seemed between the illegitimate numbers produced by some in combination with the lack of info dispersed about others, a solution was needed for a reliable source of information at athletic events.
Players & fans of all ages feel the urge to look at stats after each game, season, or debate about who performed better. The thing is, we don’t want to look at just any stats, we want to look at legit stats.
I didn’t want to work a typical 9 to 5 so I figured I’d need to start a business to make any money. At the time I was the only reliable statistician I knew that could tackle the need of providing accurate basketball live data and analytics. I named my company Legit Stats because I wanted everybody to know if me or a member of my staff was there then the numbers were accurate and could be viewed as legitimate all around the world.
Marcellus, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I obtained an internship working in the Virginia State University Sports Information Department while I was a sophomore in college. After hearing about my affinity for playing NBA 2K & NCAA football, Sports Information Director Jason Pompey taught me how to professionally track live stats.
He told me if I were able to master the craft then he would help me land a job with Nike traveling around the country to cover the nation’s top high school basketball players. That opportunity allowed me to watch future stars like Devin Booker, Julius Randle, and Aaron Gordon before the fame.
From there I learned how to code in order to proficiently track all stats live. After a year of live games and training at VSU I was hired by Nike as a statistician and held the position for three years.
My company, Legit Stats, provides live stats and analytics for events of all sports across the country. We’re able to provide exposure for athletes in addition to providing support for media companies. Our accurate numbers help provide the basis for player rankings, television broadcasts, and college recruitment.
Through my entire career I am proudest of having earned my university’s alumni of the year award in addition to launching the Legit Stats Super 60. The Super 60 was a showcase event aimed to help high school athletes in my hometown of Loudoun County, VA earn scholarships. The event produced an eventual NBA draft pick, Jordan Miller, who didn’t have a single scholarship offer at the time of the event. A number of other athletes that attended earned scholarships and were able continue their playing careers in college.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
As a statistician or live data analyst, it takes tome to be able to code live at the speed of the game. During my time spent covering live games and training I made numerous mistakes. So many that at one point I was viewed as one of the worst trainees.
I realized no one’s ever made it anywhere by giving up so I instead decided I would focus as much as possible to perfect one area at a time with my coding. I spent extra time taking typing tests to increase my speed and become a better typer. I started covering every game I could code for any sport which helped my overall grasp of the software. Before you know it my increased repetition and approach to continually progress enabled me to become one of the nation’s best statisticians.
This perseverance and eventual success taught me persistence pays off. The more focused repetition you get with the goal of enhancing a skill will lead you to success no matter what skill you’re trying to master.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I believe our consistent statistical accuracy and integrity has helped our company climb into the upper echelon of sports analytics companies. We take great pride in our courtside customer service. The legitimacy we provide events coupled with the awareness our service brings to student athletes is second to none.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LegitStats.com
- Instagram: @LegitStats
- Facebook: Legit Sport Stats
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcellus-bowie-1b763b67
- Twitter: @LegitSportStats