SoCon partners with SEC for Officiating Crews

The Southern Conference will partner with the Southeastern Conference to coordinate its men’s basketball officiating, SoCon Commissioner Jim Schaus announced Wednesday. The SoCon will join the SEC, American Athletic, ASUN and Sun Belt conferences in the officiating consortium beginning with the 2020-21 season.

“By joining the SEC men’s basketball officiating consortium, the SoCon is taking an important step toward long term success with our officiating,” Schaus said. “I am so impressed with how important men’s basketball officiating is to the SEC’s leadership and how our officials will be integrated into all of their processes.

“This new partnership will allow for more extensive training and education for our officials. Long term, their consortium model will also attract high quality officials that will be able to work in the SoCon. The SEC consortium had more new officials in the NCAA tournament over the past three years (38 percent) than any other conference. They are also able to devote significant resources to ensure consistency and overall success. All of these are key reasons why 31 of 32 Division I conferences are affiliated with a major conference men’s basketball officiating consortium. I am very excited about our future with this new opportunity.” 

The consortium allows the conferences to collaborate on all officiating matters related to recruitment, education and training, scheduling and evaluation of men’s basketball officials.

“We are pleased to welcome the Southern Conference to the basketball officiating consortium and look forward to collaborating with the four other conferences to continue the enhancement of men’s basketball officiating,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “The addition of the Southern Conference will bring additional quality officials to the consortium and an enhanced opportunity for efficient recruiting, training, assignment and evaluation of officials.”

Veteran official Mike Eades, who was named the coordinator of men’s basketball officials for the consortium on Tuesday, will determine which officials will participate during the season, make game assignments, coordinate officials’ training and education throughout the year and monitor and evaluate officials.

“The alignment of the Southern Conference into the SEC men’s basketball officiating consortium will only enhance the level of officiating within the Southern Conference,” said J.D. Collins, the NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating. “The SEC consortium has strong leadership starting at the top. The commissioners represented in the SEC consortium are focused on the teaching, training and development of their officiating staffs. This move by the SoCon will prove to be very beneficial for years to come.”

The recently completed 2019-20 regular season was the SoCon’s 99th for men’s basketball, while the league’s 2020 tournament was its 100^th edition. ETSU won both the SoCon regular-season and tournament titles this season.

The SoCon also recently joined the SEC in a football officiating consortium, with that partnership in place for the 2020 season.

This Article was provided by Phil Perry the Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations for the Southern Conference. For more info visit SoConSports.com