SCOTTSDALE, AZ –State Basketball Championship (SBC), organizers of youth state championship tournaments across the USA, has partnered with Officially Human (OH), it was announced today by Bill Reinking, Executive Director of SBC, and Brenda Hilton, Founder & CEO of Officially Human.
“For too long, the respect for our sports officials has deteriorated among athletes, parents, and fans, and improvement is sportsmanship is sorely needed,” said Brenda Hilton. “Officially Human is the leading organization to help change mindsets and build strong relationships and admiration towards our sports officials while growing the base of these brave individuals. I’m excited to partner with State Basketball Championship and look forward to achieving our common goals.”
Brenda Hilton also currently works for a Division I collegiate athletic conference. She spent 11 years with the Summit League (formerly the Mid-Continent conference) and overall 22+ years working in major collegiate officiating.
“Over the past several years, along with most youth sports organizations, we have experienced a growing issue with the treatment and retention of officials at all levels of our game”, said Bill Reinking. “When we learned of Officially Human and their mission, and then spoke with Brenda and her team, we knew our aligned ideals, goals and strategies were a winning combination. We look forward to working with Officially Human and further strengthening our already strong culture as well as improving the experience at the games we love to watch, as well as ensuring all interested athletes have a place to play.”
With this partnership, State Basketball Championship has access to Officially Human’s ELEVATE RESPECT online course, as well as OH PSA’s and other tools to communicate and distribute to its Tournament participants, families, and other constituents.
ABOUT OFFICIALLY HUMAN Based in Lombard, Ill. and founded in 2019, Officially Human is the leader in addressing the growing crisis in officiating that touches every sport, official, and level of competition. Officially Human offers tailored solutions to athletic host organizations of all sizes that improve the stakeholder experience at each of their sporting competitions. The comprehensive solutions package includes digital education, awareness building, event host communication strategies, and organizational support in addressing poor fan behavior. To learn more about Officially Human, visit officiallyhuman.com.
ABOUT STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP In 2012, Bill Reinking founded State Basketball Championship with the mission of producing state-wide competition for the best youth basketball teams per state. The results have since taken root as annual, season-ending tournament events in states across the USA. To achieve this, SBC partners with independent tournaments and leagues to create a network of Qualifier Events through which top teams earn their bid to State. The unique SBC qualifier model serves to promote 500 community-based sports organizations nationwide, while funneling the fiercest and most geographically diverse competition into each State tournament.