MEAC Joining BIG EAST, ACC Basketball Officiating Alliance
NEW YORK – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will join the Men’s Basketball Officiating Alliance in July 2018. The Alliance was formed in 2016 by the BIG EAST Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference and Colonial Athletic Association and subsequently added the Ivy League, Patriot League, Big South, Northeast and Northeast-10 Conferences in 2017.
“I want to thank John Swofford, Val Ackerman and all the Alliance commissioners for inviting the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to be a partner. 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 Dr. Dennis E. Thomas. “We look forward to ameliorating the quality of our officiating with this partnership.”
The Alliance will enable all 10 conferences to work together on a wide range of officiating matters, including scheduling, training, development, recruitment, retention and evaluation. The long-term mission of the Alliance is to increase proficiency and consistency among veteran officials across the collegiate basketball officiating landscape and to facilitate the entry of younger referees into the officiating profession.
John Cahill, the BIG EAST Supervisor of Officials, and Bryan Kersey, the ACC’s Supervisor of Men’s Basketball Officiating, are leading the operation of the Alliance. Long-time NCAA official and current MEAC Coordinator of Officials, Larry Rose, will continue to oversee the MEAC.
"We are very excited to welcome the MEAC to our alliance and look forward to building on our efforts to enhance the quality of officiating across all of our conferences," said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. "Our relationship with the MEAC will improve our pipeline, create additional assignments for our referees and aid the NCAA in its goal of greater consistency in the college game.”
“I’m pleased that our alliance continues to expand as it will only enhance the benefits we’ve already experienced in the first two years,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “The addition of the MEAC provides another opportunity to strengthen the alliance and they are a welcome addition as we look to the future.”
The BIG EAST:
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of ten nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments. The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,727 student-athletes on over 180 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports. Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in seven of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. For more information, visit
www.bigeast.com.