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Originally Posted by RichMSN
Ridiculous. What makes Ed Hightower head and shoulders above someone else who works the ACC/Big 10/etc./etc. to the point where he is one of the 10 selected EVERY FREAKING YEAR? I know Welmer is a running joke around here for various reasons, but why do almost all the major conferences compete mightily for his services year after year only to see him get shafted when it comes time to the NCAA tournament? Never worked a Final Four in 28 years as a Division 1 official while Hightower works 90% of them?
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My opinion is that an assignor picks people in whom he has developed confidence for the high profile assignments. Afterall, their performance also reflects upon him and if his guys don't perform then it is his butt that will be on the line.
I seriously doubt that "the best" people are selected for these games by an objective standard. There are many off-court factors that go in the selection process. I happen to think that the NCAA administrators consider height and weight, age, and yes, race. But again the biggest factor seems to be who has a good relationship with the assignor. That covers both friendships and the trust/confidence factor.
These thoughts may well explain why you see the same faces year after year, why certain individuals get excluded despite quality regular season schedules, and why it is difficult for fresh faces to break into the mix.