Ever since NetSci 2006 last May, I’ve been quietly looking in earnest for some way to apply network theories to sports informatics. There was a Texas Tech hoops fan who mapped out about a game’s worth of passing the basketball. That’s a study I think would be very illuminating if done for multiple seasons. Thanks to ESPN, I just found another: coaching changes.
ESPN’s Andy Katz recently took a look back at the fallout from the Hoosier coaching switch in the Men’s basketball program. The hiring of Kelvin Sampson shook the tree of job openings and player movement. The ESPN Flash programmers put together a little visualization of those falling leaves, but I think both the scope and presentation of that information could be better.
So add to my growing list of possible thesis projects or faculty research collaborations the application of network theory to sports job movement. I don’t think it will be too difficult to convince Sandro to help me take this on (especially with Italy winning the World Cup Sunday).