Call to lead selection committee a tough one for OSU's Smith

Blog: Ohio State AD to chair NCAA men’s basketball committee

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer Updated 1:09 AM Wednesday, July 1, 2009

My father, briefly, was a high school football referee.

The way he tells it, his short career ended sometime after he forgot to check the yard markers correctly, and he was drilled by the loyal crowd. That would be enough for anyone, probably, to want to end that second career.

As important a position as it is, I think we can all agree it takes a special kind of person to want to be a referee. Someone has to make things fair, but there’s almost too much verbal punishment involved.

That’s similar, actually, to the role Gene Smith will now play.

Smith, the Ohio State athletic director, was appointed chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for 2010-11, the NCAA announced Tuesday, June 30. In that role, Smith will lead the selection and seeding of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament participants.

This job has some great benefits. First of all, it’s an excuse to watch college basketball all season long with first-class access. And, as my boss noted, it provides excellent seats for the Opening Round game at UD Arena.

But sports fans probably make this job all but unbearable.

In college basketball, a more important position might not exist. That is, a person to lead the grueling selection of the final at-large teams into the tournament.

But in that position, you just can’t win.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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