BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference (MEC) has announced the hiring of Tony Chiazza as the league’s new Supervisor of Men’s Basketball Officials. The 25-year officiating veteran and West Virginia native will be charged with selecting, evaluating, and assigning officials for the MEC. Chiazza begins his duties immediately following Doug Spry’s recent retirement after a 48-year career in officiating.
Chiazza, 44, is presently a member of thirteen NCAA Division I men’s basketball officiating staffs, including the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big East Conference, Big 12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference (SEC).
“In Tony Chiazza, we are tremendously fortunate to attract a top NCAA Division I men’s basketball official to serve the MEC as our Supervisor of Men’s Basketball Officials,” MEC Commissioner Reid Amos said. “With Tony working at the highest levels of college basketball, his on-court experience, contacts in the industry, and expertise in training and development will be invaluable assets to our officiating program. He has spent recent seasons assisting Doug Spry and is well prepared and suited for this new assignment.”
Chiazza’s NCAA basketball officiating career began in 2000 in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). During his career, in addition to the ACC, Big East, Big 12, and SEC, Chiazza has additionally served as an official for multiple other conferences, including the American, America East, Atlantic 10, Big South, Coastal, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Northeast, and Patriot.
Chiazza has worked nine NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournaments, including four Sweet 16’s. He has worked the Big East Tournament for 10 consecutive years. Other postseason assignments have included the NIT, Atlantic-10, America East, Big South, Coastal, Horizon, and Metro Atlantic Tournaments. Prior to his Division I ascension, Chiazza worked the NCAA Division III Championship game in 2010.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to take over the role of Supervisor of Men’s Basketball Officials for the Mountain East Conference, following in the footsteps of mentors Mike Eades and Doug Spry, who preceded me,” Chiazza said. “I look forward to the challenge of recruiting and developing MEC officials to make it a top Division II staff in the country. The MEC is among the very best Division II men’s basketball conferences in the country, and I thank Commissioner Amos and the MEC for providing me with this opportunity. I’m very proud to be taking on this new challenge.”
Former MEC Supervisor of Men’s Basketball Officials Eades took over as the Supervisor of the SEC in 2020. Since that transition, Eades has served the MEC as a men’s basketball officiating consultant, and he will continue in that role with the league.
(Photo by Sullivan Lawrence)