Micah Ofstein
Research Mentor: Michael Mignano
Mentor Department: Movement Science, Kinesiology
Author(s): Micah Ofstein, Michael Mignano
Session: Session 4 (1:00 PM – 1:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Poster 132
Abstract
Although there are frequent coaching changes in college basketball for a variety of reasons (firing, new job, scandal), few studies have examined annual team and program statistics in relation to these changes. This project serves to fill that gap, analyzing associations between coaching changes and the statistical output of men’s basketball teams in the NCAA Division 1 Big Ten conference. Our study compiles the quantitative statistics (e.g., “offensive points per game) located on the NCAA website, such as conference rankings, national rankings, comparisons to the national leader, overall record, postseason tournament qualifications, tournament record, and salary to find trends and patterns associated with coaching changes. An association is expected to be discovered in the analysis of data, although the specific trend is dependent upon the program and coach. Some limitations of this project are that we did not account for the recent prevalence of the transfer portal and players changing schools, nor did we factor in potential external or internal program factors (e.g., job or program prestige). The current analysis allows us to better understand why programs may decide to replace coaches who may not match historical standards, and understand why coaches would leave for other opportunities. The findings also allow us to find correlations between specific coaches and coaching styles, as well as the statistical output and records of specific coaches in different environments, and where each coach may best succeed.
