NEUMONT CAPSTONE PROJECTS: SPORTS DATA ANALYTICS BY JOSH LITTLE
SPORTS DATA ANALYTICS BY JOSH LITTLE
Each quarter, students across all five bachelor's degree programs at Neumont College of Computer Science present their Capstone Project. This penultimate project demonstrates each student's ability to conceive, plan, develop, and present a technology-focused project in only 10 weeks.
Josh Little
This week we're featuring Bachelor of Science in Business Operations and Technology Management Senior Josh Little for his project that brought together his passion for sports and his aptitude for technology as he developed a cloud-based data warehouse for data analytics using public data from the NFL.
A Las Vegas, Nevada native, Josh came to Neumont after working for a few years and recognizing that he wanted a more stable career path. Josh plays ultimate Frisbee, manages a gaming channel, and runs a fantasy football league in addition to being an avid fan of football and hockey.
After majoring in Technology Management, Josh settled on expanding his skills in data analytics through Capstone to show high-level football organizations the value of his skills and data management.
"This project serves a need rather than solving a problem by providing a way to store, operate, and visualize massive amounts of data in a way that makes sense and is usable," said Josh describing the purpose of his project.
Josh Little (back, middle) helped mentor first-year students during his sophomore year at Neumont as a Peer Leader.
Developing a project, Josh would be proud to put his name on was a challenge to find a way to bring together sports and technology. He said, "I decided to create something that would marry my aptitude for technology with my passion for sports and carve out my own little niche in the tech world."
One of the most challenging aspects of any Capstone Project (especially one like this) is solving problems without any direction. Josh created his own system of self-evaluation to determine the best solution to problems he faced.
He also found it rewarding to create a project he was deeply passionate about. "First and foremost, I felt good about myself even when I didn't know where I was going during this project," he said. The project ultimately opened up new opportunities for Josh and he is now completing an Enterprise Project with University of Utah Football Director of Sports Science Ernest Rimer.
"I have a skill set that I’ve been honing and still have room to grow; I have an ability to self-motivate and self-direct; and I have an Enterprise project to work on that I feel incredibly passionate about and excited for," said Josh when asked about his senior year.
Josh thanks his dad, Ken Little for helping him find the courage to persevere and continue his education in technology despite worries that there may not be a place for a sports guy in tech. Ken helped Josh evaluate his passions and chase those goals regardless of his degree. "Time has proven him right," he said. "It turns out there will always be room for me in places that I am willing to make it."