ACC, BIG EAST to Lead Men’s Basketball Officiating Alliance
Today, the Atlantic Coast Conference has announced that they will be partnering with the BIG EAST, Atlantic 10, and the Colonial Athletic Association to develop an alliance that will oversee all referees for men’s basketball. This alliance will allow the four conferences to work together to deal with officiating issues such as training, development, recruitment, retention, and feedback. These four conferences are no strangers to each other as they have collaborated in the past. The alliance will begin immediately, being led by John Cahill, BIG EAST Supervisor of Officials, and Bryan Kersey, ACC Coordinator of Men’s Basketball Officiating. Cahill and Kersey both were former top referee’s for their respective conferences, they will be bringing together two of the top conferences in college basketball
“As we seek to continue to improve college basketball and the quality of our officiating program, I’m pleased that we have been able form this alliance with the BIG EAST, the A-10 and the CAA” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “Combining the expertise and resources of these outstanding basketball conferences gives us a chance to prominently support current and future officials. Throughout their careers, John and Bryan have demonstrated a tremendous understanding of the challenges that are faced by teams and officials, and having them collaborate will only increase the level of officiating for all four leagues. I’d like to especially thank Paul Brazeau and Stu Jackson for their quality work in helping us get to this point. All of our member institutions and the sport of college basketball stand to benefit from this collaboration in scheduling, travel, training, and evaluation.”
“The BIG EAST has historically operated independently in officiating matters, and we now look forward to joining forces with the ACC, A-10 and CAA to build on our existing program and to contribute to the long-term development of officiating across the NCAA,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. “Our coaches, referees and student-athletes will all gain from this new collaboration and from the credibility, experience and know-how that John and Bryan will bring to bear on one of the most important areas of the game.”
In 2015-16, 32 referees associated with the BIG EAST and ACC were selected to work in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.