SPORTS NEWS
Mark Lindsay ’99
Photo courtesy Golden State Warriors
Mark Lindsay standing next to Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, during a basketball game in the 2017-18 season.
Referee Mark Lindsay ’99 Makes a Difference: On the Basketball Court and with Jamaican Youth
B
eing able to share the court with NBA stars on a nightly basis may sound like the wildest dream of a diehard sports fan, but for NBA referee Mark Lindsay ’99, it is just another day at the office. The three-year letterman on the Golden Rams men’s basketball team began refereeing youth games during his senior season at West Chester. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, the Malvern native officiated in several college conferences and the NBA Development League before becoming an NBA ref in 2010. Spending your days with the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be fulfilling enough for many sports fans, but Lindsay also strived to do more, and he was presented with that chance during the annual WCU Men’s Basketball Messikomer Hall of Fame
18 WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY
Banquet. After accepting the 2016 Milton Blitz Award — honoring a WCU graduate who has made a significant contribution to basketball — Lindsay was approached by Ben Kay, a Golden Rams assistant coach. Kay wondered if Lindsay would be interested in helping at the Treasure Beach Jamaican Youth Basketball Camp. During the annual five-day event, former NCAA basketball players and basketball professionals associated with the Philadelphia Men’s Basketball League offer skills training to nearly 1,000 youth in Saint Elizabeth Parish in southwestern Jamaica. The youth also receive three daily meals, sneakers, socks, backpacks, reversible jerseys, and T-shirts. “The opportunity to give back to the sport of basketball and make an impact on a group of underprivileged kids was something that
fully resonated with me,” says Lindsay, who helped with the 2016 camp and the last two as well. “Seeing firsthand the positive impact the camp has on the children is deeply impactful, fulfilling, and in sync with my passion, purpose, and pride in being a steward of the sport.” Lindsay, who has known WCU Head Basketball Coach Damien Blair since he was a first-year student, credits his years as a student-athlete at West Chester with helping shape and nurture his passion for giving back. “My WCU experience not only helped me get to the biggest stage in basketball but, more important, has been a catalyst for using that platform to inspire kids and give to those less fortunate than ourselves,” he says.
