MEAC JOINS MBB OFFICIATING ALLIANCE, IMPROVES REFEREES’ EXPERIENCE Alex Lehmbeck Staff Writer
While most of the attention in the college basketball offseason is given to the stars sporting the flashy uniforms, there’s some important action happening off the court. The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will join the Men’s Basketball Officiating Alliance in July, expanding the coalition to ten conferences. The MEAC is the newest addition to the innovative and forward-looking organization. “The MEAC is elated to join this alliance which adds additional levels of evaluation, education, consistency of officiating and accountability for officials,” said MEAC Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas said in an ACC release May 3. “We look forward to ameliorating the quality of our officiating with this partnership.” The Basketball Officiating Alliance was initially formed in 2016 by the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference and Colonial Athletic Association. The Big South, Ivy League, Northeast 10 and Patriot League subsequently joined in 2017. It is primarily composed of eastcoast-based conferences. The organization hopes to change the way officiating assignments are handled geographically. It takes travel time into account when scheduling officials, with the hopes of increasing the quality of official’s performances. “The Men’s Basketball Alliance was started a couple years ago to help create a better officiating model, where a number of leagues work together on a geographical basis to schedule officials and train, develop and retain officials with the hopes of improving the officiating process with officiating overall,” ACC Senior Associate Commissioner Paul Brazeau said. The Alliance allows the conferences it connects to work together on officiating matters through scheduling, training,
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Referees in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will face an easier season amid new governing rules for officials. Christian Snyder |EDITOR IN CHIEF Brazeau believes that the group’s stratdevelopment, recruitment, retention and Brazeau said. “We all know that’s an unrealistic goal and an unattainable goal, egy of assigning games is both efficient evaluation. The long-term goal is to increase pro- but by helping to schedule better … we and effective. He says that the extra time ficiency and consistency among veteran can cut down on the wear and tear that given to officials due to the scheduling officials across college basketball and to officials go through throughout the sea- can be utilized for rest and development to make them better in the future. facilitate the entry of younger referees son.” “He’s able to fly into one place, work The main idea of the Alliance’s stratinto the officiating profession. “The goal of officiating is perfection,” egy is simple — in the case that an of- in three different leagues and not have to ficial travels to Pittsburgh to cover a Pitt travel,” Brazeau says. “He can get better game Tuesday, the Alliance would try to rest. He can review his games the next schedule the official a Duquesne game day on his video and learn, develop and Wednesday, and even a Robert Morris rest at a much more rapid pace to give game Thursday before they leave the us some sense of consistency across all leagues.” Steel City. With the addition of the MEAC, In previous years, officials could be thrown around all over the country with Brazeau is pleased with how the officiateach game they cover — meaning the ing alliance has grown since its formanew strategy will allow referees to travel tion in 2016. However, he does not think this is the conclusion, as he believes it more cheaply and perform better. Before the Alliance existed, there was will continue to expand. “It’s just a business opportunity in a a lack of variety in officials, as the same officials would retain their same roles sense that continues to evolve,” he said. - Dennis E. Thomas every year. The new system makes ad- “Just to try to improve officiating and MEAC Commissioner vancement for young referees easier by work together to create a better environment.” giving them more teams to cover.
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We look forward to ameliorating the quality of our officiating with this partnership.
May 31, 2018
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