Methodology of the Essig Report
The Essig Report is a computerized tabulation of the comparative strengths of large school Illinois Boys Basketball teams, based on the mean average of results of games played to-date when measured against the strength of the competition.
The rating system was originally developed in 1990 when the author, Charlie Essig, recognized an apparent need for a rating system that took into account something other than someone’s personal, biased opinion. What evolved is a computer program that measures the comparative strength of approximately 480 teams based on actual game performances vs. strength of schedule.
The input into the program consists of the point differential in each game - modified to soften the effect of one-sided games - and weighted to place greater emphasis on the more recent games played. The measurement of comparative strength of the competition includes a computed evaluation of the average point differential of both the opponent and the opponent’s opponents.
Finally, as more games are played and scores entered into the program, the best and worst 20% of each team’s performances are eliminated from the calculations, reducing the potential negative effects of running up the score, or of playing shorthanded or when results are incorrectly reported.
Results of games are tabulated through a daily review of scores posted in daily newspapers, from results published by the Associated Press, from the web sites of many Illinois newspapers and IHSA schools and, where questionable or missing, through calls to media and/or specific schools involved.
The author makes no claims other than to state that every practical effort is used to accumulate, verify and tabulate actual scores that, during the 2009-2010 season, will include the results of nearly 6,000 games.
The rating system has been the subject of articles by numerous newspaper columnists over the years, including Jeff Lampe of the Decatur Herald, Don O’Brien of the Quincy Herald, Bob Sakamoto of the Chicago Tribune, Taylor Bell of the Chicago Sun-Times, Larry Harnly of the Springfield Journal, Lindsey Willhite of the Daily Herald, Jeff Long and Tim Wagner of the Beacon-News, Don Wojciechowski of the Courier News, Jeremy Hall of the Mt Vernon Sentinel, Mike Clark of The Times and Steve Eighinger of the St Louis Post Dispatch
In the past, a large number of high school coaches throughout the state have been subscribers to the weekly reports, which also have been published, in part, in a number of newspapers.
Charlie Essig