Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Joins Collegiate Officiating Consortium
MAAC Sports
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Men’s Basketball Collegiate Officiating Consortium, LLC, representing the Big Ten Conference, Mid-American Conference (MAC), Summit League and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, announced today that the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) will join the Consortium, beginning with the 2015-16 season.
Mike Kitts, recipient of the 2009 Naismith Award for the Men’s College Basketball Official of the Year and current Coordinator of Men’s Basketball Officiating for the MAAC, will join the Consortium staff and continue to oversee the conference’s officiating operations.
“The addition of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to the Collegiate Officiating Consortium is a positive next step toward the continued growth of collegiate officiating,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “The MAAC has a long history of basketball success. Joining the Consortium will provide an opportunity for more officials to develop.”
The Men’s Basketball Collegiate Officiating Consortium, LLC provides regional oversight of officiating operations in the Big Ten, MAC, MAAC, Summit League and Northern Sun. The organization will now serve 62 institutions in 17 states.
“In unanimously supporting the MAAC’s entry into the Men’s Basketball Officiating Consortium the league’s athletic directors and coaches fully supported the consortium vision and rationale,” notes MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. “Specifically, the conference endorsed some of the following elements of the consortium’s operations and goals:
· Unify multi-conference oversight of officiating under one governing LLC.
· Centralize administrative operations to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
· Integrate officiating coordinators into a collective “team” of experts to unify messaging/directives thus improving officiating consistency and performance.
· Standardize the policies, procedures and expectations governing officials.
· Systematize the use of video technology for performance analysis, greater accountability, grading/data collection, education and training.
· Reduce the travel of officials via strategic scheduling and game proximities thus improving preparation, health and performance.”
“I want to thank the Board of Directors of the Consortium for their interest in the MAAC and its 11 member schools and look forward to working with them to improve men’s basketball officiating.”
On Monday, the Consortium announced that veteran college basketball official Mike Sanzere will join the staff beginning with the 2015-16 season, and serve as the primary liaison for officiating in the MAC and Summit League.