Scott Thornley Named the 2008 Naismith Men's College Official of the Year

March 5, 2008

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Veteran Mountain West Conference men's basketball official Scott Thornley has been named the 2008 Naismith Men's College Official of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Thornley was joined by fellow honoree Tommy Salerno, who was chosen as the 2008 Naismith Women's College Official of the Year.

Thornley and Salerno will be among those honored at the Atlanta Tipoff Club Naismith Awards banquet on March 25 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.

A 30-year veteran in the Division I men's basketball officiating ranks, Thornley has served as a Mountain West official since the league's inception in 1999. He began his career in the Big Sky Conference and now covers the Big 12, Conference USA, Missouri Valley, Western Athletic and Pacific 10 conferences in addition to the MWC. Thornley has been a part of every NCAA Men's Basketball tournament since 1983, including three national championship games in 1996, 1999 and 2001.

"College basketball officiating is tremendously challenging and requires individuals who demonstrate high integrity and ethics with regards to the sport," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "Their peers in the profession feel strongly that Tommy and Scott have solid track records and certainly have contributed to the betterment of officiating."

Thornley and Salerno were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of basketball officials' supervisors and administrators from around the country, based on their performances in officiating throughout the longevity of their careers. The Naismith Award is the most prestigious national award in college basketball.

The Naismith Award for Men's and Women's College Officials of the Year has been presented since 1988, when Joe Forte (Men's) and Patty Broderick (Women's) were honored. Last year's recipients where John Cahill (Men's) and Tina Napier (Women's).

The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club has presented the Naismith Trophy since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. The Naismith Awards program has become an emblem of excellence for the game, recognizing the men's and women's college players, coaches and officials of the year, and the male and female high school players of the year.