PRINCETON, N.J. – In an effort to continue to the recent success and upwards trajectory of Ivy League basketball, Gary Prager has been named the Coordinator of Officials for men’s basketball for the Ivy League and the Patriot League.
Prager will serve in the role and work with the Men’s Basketball Officiating Alliance that also includes the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Atlantic 10, Big East, Big South, Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Northeast Conference (NEC) and Northeast-10 Conference.
In his role, Prager will assign officials for the Ivy League and the Patriot League in addition to working with League coaches and institutions to evaluate game performances during the season, and communicate rules changes and interpretations. He will also work within the Alliance on the development and identification of officials.
"Gary brings a wealth of experience and a national reputation to this role,” Ivy League Executive Director
Robin Harris said.
“We look forward to working with him as we continue to develop and enhance an officiating program that parallels the on-court performance of Ivy League men’s basketball student-athletes and meets the expectations of coaches, administrators and fans.”
“I want to thank the Ivy and Patriot leagues for the opportunity they have given to me to be the Supervisor of Officiating of their respective men's basketball leagues,” Prager said.
“It enables me to reconnect to the game I love and reunite with the many friends I made along the way. Furthermore, I look forward to working closely with (Big East Supervisor of Men’s Basketball Officials) Johnny Cahill, (ACC Supervisor of Men’s Basketball Officials) Bryan Kersey and the rest of the talented staff we have within our Alliance. As a group, we will work hard to put the best officiating crews available on the court, while establishing and maintaining a deep, talented roster of officials and continue to develop all of our officials.”
Prager has served as a men’s basketball official for 36 years, with 22 years of experience at the collegiate level. During his career he has spent 17 years at the Division I level, serving primarily as a Big East official from 2001-18. Prager has also been affiliated with the America East, Atlantic 10, Colonial Athletic Association, Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Association, Northeast Conference and Patriot League during his career. His tournament assignments included seven NCAA tournaments, pre- and postseason National Invitational Tournaments (NIT) and conference postseason tournaments.
Away from the court, Prager served in law enforcement with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), working in street law enforcement, administration, management and supervisory roles for 20 years from 1980 and 2000.
ABOUT THE MEN’S BASKETBALL OFFICIATING ALLIANCE
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.