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Nick R

- Research Program Mentor

MS at Syracuse University

Expertise

Sport Analytics, Data Science, Programming, Econometrics

Bio

Hi, my name is Nick Riccardi, and I just finished my master's degree in applied data science at Syracuse University. Before getting my graduate degree, I graduated from the sport analytics program at Syracuse. Starting in the Spring 2022 semester, I'll be teaching two courses in the program. Throughout my four years at SU, I've worked with professor Dr. Rodney Paul on numerous research projects, some of which have been published. The research projects I've worked on generally address player performance and attendance in professional sports, with an emphasis on basketball and hockey. In terms of my personal life, I love golfing, playing chess, and watching sports as often as I can. I played lacrosse for most of my life before graduating high school and played on Syracuse's club volleyball team for a year. Since becoming a Graduate Assistant, my interest in mentoring and working with students has grown exponentially.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

The Impact of a Basketball Player's Angle Towards the Basket on Shooting Percentage

This project involves analyzing the effect that the angle between which a basketball player receives a pass from a teammate and the basket has on their chance of making a shot. I hypothesize that as the angle decreases, the chance of making the shot increases. This project could help basketball teams strategize their offensive schemes to increase their shooting efficiency.

How Does the Absence of Fans Effect Performance?

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused sporting events to continue with little to no spectators in the crowd. I would like to investigate whether this impacts teams and players positively or negatively. This project would involve comparing team and player performance before and during the pandemic.

Coding skills

R, SQL, Python

Teaching experience

I served as a Graduate Assistant at Syracuse University while completing my Master's for two undergraduate classes. This involved grading assignments as well as helping to prepare class material and help out students with whatever needs they have. Starting in January 2022 I will be teaching the course as an adjunct professor.

Credentials

Work experience

Syracuse University (2021 - Current)
Adjunct Professor
Syracuse University (2017 - 2021)
Research Assistant
Syracuse Crunch (2018 - 2019)
Analytics Intern
Major League Lacrosse (2018 - 2019)
Analytics Intern

Education

Syracuse University
BS Bachelor of Science (2020)
Sport Analytics
Syracuse University
MS Master of Science
Applied Data Science

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