Virginia’s non-conference basketball game Wednesday evening against Albany went as expected, with the Cavaliers claiming a 66-46 win over the Great Danes.
A ho-hum type of game. Except for the three-person officiating crew assigned to the game.
Lee Cassell, Paul Szelc and Jenna Reneau officiated the contest, as assigned by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Reneau, according to a UVA media-relations contact, was the first female to ever officiate a home men’s basketball game on Grounds.
Reneau fit in well with the other two officials. I even had to point her out to other media members during the early moments of the game.
Former ACC official Dick Paparo once told me in an interview that “we (officials) like it when we don’t get noticed. Unlike ‘Cheers,’ we like it when people don’t know our names,” said Paparo.
I’m not sure Paparo ever achieved that, as he was one of the most recognized officials in all of college basketball.
Reneau, a Texas native and graduate of the University of North Texas, is no stranger to officiating on the big stage. Earlier this season, she officiated Duke’s season-opening win over Jacksonville in Cameron Indoor Stadium. In addition to the ACC, Reneau has also been associated with the Sun Belt Conference.
Reneau, in addition to college basketball, has also officiated five NBA games and numerous NBA G-Leagues games this season.
Wednesday night may have been a first for UVA men’s basketball, but with the lack of attention the three-person crew received, it won’t be the last.
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