Tarleton State University graduate student Daniel Shafer recently traveled to the University of Maryland in College Park, MD to officiate the Intramural and Club Regional Basketball Tournament.

Shafer sent the university an application to referee in the tournament and was one of the few to get selected to officiate. By the end of the tournament Shafer had received an award for All-Tournament Official of Maryland NIRSA Regional Basketball Tournament.

The Intramural and Club Regional Basketball Tournament is a learning opportunity for young officials. Those selected are evaluated by professional officials in the campus recreation field, which mostly consists of intramural coordinators from other universities.

“Going into the tournament I had high hopes for myself to get this award. I had the opportunity to go to the national tournament last year at North Carolina State University, and I wanted the opportunity to do so again this year,” Shafer said.

After being evaluated over a period of two days and officiating nine basketball games, the officials committee, also known as evaluators, chose only the best officials to officiate the semi-finals and finals games. Shafer was given the chance to officiate the Intramural Men’s Division Championship and the Club Men’s Championship for the tournament.

After these games are finished and the tournament is concluded, the evaluators vote on the top three officials of the tournament, Shafer was one of the three. The other two selected in the top three were students from East Carolina University and Virginia Tech.

“Being selected to be an All-Tournament official was a great accomplishment. Being the official from the smallest school represented there, and to win this award was not only great for me, but also for the Recreational Department and Tarleton State University,” Shafer said.

Shafer will represent Tarleton at the NIRSA National Basketball Championship games held at North Carolina State University April 11 through 14