IBCA Gardner/Ball Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                   Contact: Pat McKee, 317-403-1665

March 7, 2024                                                                          IBCA Director of Special Projects

Officials to receive 2024 Gardner and Ball awards

Arthur, Pitts to be honored by Indiana Basketball Coaches Association

               Game officials Scott Arthur and P.J. Pitts will be recognized with special awards in 2024 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

               Arthur and Pitts will be honored as respective winners of the Roy Gardner and Mildred Ball awards as outstanding officials throughout long careers on the hardwood. The two officials are being cited for their work impacting the game floor, Arthur from 1992 to the present and Pitts from 1995 to the present.

                Arthur is in his 32nd season as an official, including four times in the boys' basketball State Finals and four times in the girls' basketball State Finals while a member of the Southwestern Indiana Officials Association. The Loogootee resident served as the SWIOA basketball chairman for four years and was an IHSAA certification clinician for eight years. He also has been a baseball umpire for 23 years and worked four State Finals in that sport.

                Pitts, a Bridgeton resident, is in his 29th season as an official. He has worked the boys' basketball State Finals four times and the girls' basketball State Finals five times. He has been a member of the Wabash Valley Officials Association for 29 years and the Western Indiana Officials Association for two years. He served four years at WVOA president and eight years as a board member. Pitts also has been a football official, twice working the State Finals, and a volleyball official.

                The Gardner Award is named after the late Roy Gardner, a Lawrenceburg native, Ball State graduate and former Batesville High School math teacher who worked three boys' basketball State Finals and officiated in the Big Ten from 1959-69. He passed away in 1977, and the IBCA has presented an award in his name since 1978. Gardner was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

               The Ball Award is named after Mildred Morgan Ball, a graduate of Gary Roosevelt High School and Indiana University who served as an IHSAA assistant commissioner from 1977-97. During her time at the IHSAA, Ball was responsible for licensing and training of contest officials and also worked with the National Federation of High School Associations rules committee. The IBCA has presented an award in her name since 1997. Ball was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, and she was the 2022 recipient of the Richard G. Lugar Award for Distinguished Service.

               Arthur and Pitts each will receive his award during the IBCA's annual clinic on April 25-26 at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville. For more information about the IBCA, go to in.nhsbca.org.

               More information about each award winner follows. In addition, a list of previous winners for these awards follows the biography information.

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2024 IBCA Roy Gardner Award

Congratulations to the Roy Gardner Award Winner: Scott Arthur

            Scott Arthur of Loogootee is the winner of the 2024 IBCA Roy Gardner Award.

            A 1989 graduate of Loogootee High School, Arthur competed in cross country, basketball and baseball – teams that won one basketball regional and two baseball sectionals. He initially went to Hanover College, then transferred to the University of Evansville, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1994.

            Arthur began officiating in 1992 while a college student. Over the years, he has worked 27 sectionals, 18 regionals, seven semi-states and four State Finals (2011, 2014, 2017 and 2022) in boys’ basketball as well as 22 sectionals, 13 regionals, seven semi-states and four State Finals (2011, 2014, 2017 and 2022) in girls’ basketball. He also has worked four Hall of Fame Classic tournaments, two for boys and two for girls.

            A member of the Southwestern Indiana Officials Association for 31 years, Arthur also has been a baseball umpire for 23 years and worked four State Finals in that sport (2004, 2007, 2012 and 2013). He served as the SWIOA basketball chairman for four years and its baseball chairman for five years. He also has operated as an IHSAA certification clinician for eight years.

            Arthur was recognized with the IHSAA’s Official of the Year in 2019 for baseball and in 2023 for girls’ basketball. Officials receiving these honors are selected by a committee representing the 24 officials associations in Indiana and have gone above and beyond to serve their community and the IHSAA.

            Professionally, Arthur has worked as a project lead for night-vision equipment at Naval Warfare Center Crane for 25 years. In addition, he is in his sixth season as the varsity baseball coach at Loogootee. He also enjoys to play golf, travel and to attend sporting events in his free time.

            Arthur and his wife, Marci, are parents to two adult children – Dylan and Shealyn.

2024 IBCA Mildred Ball Award 

Congratulations to the Mildred Ball Award Winner: P.J. Pitts

            P.J. Pitts of Bridgeton is the winner of the 2023 IBCA Mildred Ball Award.

            Now in his 29th season as an official, Pitts began officiating in 1995 and has extensive state tournament experience for boys’ basketball and girls’ basketball. For boys, he has worked 20 sectionals, 14 regionals, seven semi-states and four State Finals (2009, 2013, 2016 and 2020). For girls, he has called 23 sectionals, 16 regionals, nine semi-states and five State Finals (2009, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2022).

            Pitts, a 29-year member of the Wabash Valley Officials Association and a two-year member of the Western Indiana Officials Association, also has worked as a football official and volleyball official, and he has been a part of crews that twice called the football State Finals (2015 and 2018). He has served as president of the WVOA for four years and eight years as a board member.

            In 2019, Pitts was selected as the IHSAA’s Official of the Year in boys’ basketball. Officials receiving this honor are selected by a committee representing the 24 officials associations in Indiana and have gone above and beyond to serve their community and the IHSAA.

            In receiving the Mildred Ball Award, Pitts expressed thanks to the late Don Corey, his officiating mentor and 2005 IHSAA Official of the Year in girls’ basketball, as well as 29-year partner Mark Hopper, the 2018 IHSAA Official of the Year in girls’ basketball, the 2022 IHSAA Official of the Year in boys’ basketball and the 2022 NFHS Section 4 Official of the Year.

            A 1994 graduate of West Vigo High School, Pitts played basketball for the Vikings and coach Steve DeGroote. He went on to earn an associate’s degree in business management from Ivy Tech Community College in Terre Haute in 1996.

            Professionally, Pitts has been the supervisor of transportation for the Vigo County School Corporation for the past five years. He previously worked as operations manager at Heavy Duty Truck in Terre Haute. He also has been an active volunteer in the community over the years for programs including West Terre Haute Brush Up and Clean Up the Community Environmental Day.

            Pitts and his wife, Ashley, are parents to five children – Lexi, 19; Kayleigh, 17; Kenzie, 15; Jackson, 11; and Ryleigh, 10. In his free time, Pitts enjoys fishing, hunting and spending time with family.

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IBCA officiating award winners

IBCA/ROY GARDNER AWARD

                Roy Gardner was a basketball official who was a math teacher for 34 years at Batesville High School. He coached basketball at Westland, Rising Sun and Batesville as well as track, baseball and golf at Batesville, with his teams capturing numerous championships. As an official, Gardner worked the 1955, 1956 and 1959 State Finals. He also officiated in the Big Ten from 1959 through 1969, and he called the East-West College All-Star Games in Hinkle Fieldhouse in 1968 and 1969. Gardner was born in 1919 in Lawrenceburg, lettered in basketball and track at Ball State University and passed away in 1977. He was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. The IBCA has presented an award to an outstanding basketball official in Roy Gardner's name since 1978.

                1978: Lowell Smith, Palmyra

                1979: Wayne Van Sickle, Richmond

                1980: Troy Ingram, Richmond

                1981: Jerry Larrison, Indianapolis

                1982: John Lozier, Logansport

                1983: Rich Boer, Gary

                1984: Jim Wehsollek, Alexandria

                1985: Jerry Petro, Franklin

                1986: Roger DeYoung, Hebron

                1987: Jesse Lynch, Indianapolis

                1988: Bob Marcinek, East Chicago

                1989: Melvin Redmond, Mt. Vernon

                1990: Steve Cherry, Pendleton

                1991: no award given

                1992: Richard Cook, Michigan City

                1993: Jim Cox, Jonesboro

                1994: Mike Bohan, Brownsburg

                1995: Bill Wulner, Lawrenceburg

                1996: Bob Beeson, Connersville

                1997: Jerry Cook, Elkhart

                1998: Norm Hathcoat, Pendleton

                1999: Steve Fisher, Poseyville

                2000: Rick Owens, Lynn

                2001: Larry Maxwell, Martinsville

                2002: Larry Jones, Logansport

                2003: Bill Nimnicht, Evansville

                2004: Jimmy Dimitroff, Indianapolis

                2005: Garry Leistner, Dubois

                2006: Ken Gorrell, Franklin

                2007: Jerry Taylor, Lafayette

                2008: James Dunlap, Newburgh

                2009: Don Nester, Indianapolis

                2010: Larry Nixon, Veedersburg

                2011: Mark Baltz, Zionsville

                2012: Bob Anderson, Indianapolis, and Ray Tebbe, New Palestine

                2013: Mike Waisnora, Crown Point

                2014: Terry Magnuson, Greenwood

                2015: Rex Nichols, Mooresville

                2016: Jason Ferguson, Whiteland

                2017: Tom Rohr, Montezuma

                2018: Tom Walters, Indianapolis

                2019: Mike Eason, Cumberland

                2020: Jay Slater, Sullivan

                2021: no winner named (winner from 2020 honored in 2021 because of COVID-19 pandemic).

                2022: Mark Wise, Crown Point

                2023: Eric Coburn, Leesburg

                2024: Scott Arthur, Loogootee

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IBCA/MILDRED BALL AWARD

                Mildred Morgan Ball served as an IHSAA assistant commissioner from 1977 through 1997, responsible for the licensing and training of contest officials. In addition, she worked with the National Federation of State High School Associations' rules committee. Ball is a 1953 graduate of Gary Roosevelt High School and a 1960 graduate of Indiana University. She was a teacher at East Chicago Washington High School for 17 years before joining the IHSAA staff. Ball was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, and she is the 2022 recipient of the Richard G. Lugar Award for Distinguished Service. She also is a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash, the Benjamin Hooks Award from the NAACP, the John Endwright Distinguished Alumni Service Award from IU's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1996, a Distinguished Alumni Service Award from IU in 2005 as well as other awards from the National Federation of State High School Associations, the Indiana Association of Athletic Officials and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. The IBCA has presented an award to an outstanding basketball official in Mildred Ball's name since 1997. 

                1997: Theresia Wynns, Indianapolis

                1998: Sue Ross, Fort Wayne

                1999: Judy Schneider, Indianapolis

                2000: Mike Crouch, Marion

                2001: Tim Smith, Mentone

                2002: Rhonda McGee, Floyds Knobs

                2003: Rosie Leedy, Thorntown

                2004: Barbara Guhl, Indianapolis

                2005: Greta Hawvermale, Indianapolis

                2006: Patty Broderick, Indianapolis

                2007: John Patterson, Indianapolis

                2008: Gene Butts, Warsaw

                2009: Kim Yelich, Schererville

                2010: Judy Phillips, Indianapolis

                2011: Kelly Dennis, Whiteland

                2012: Roger Holder, Greenfield

                2013: Mike Smith, New Palestine

                2014: Phil Vidito, Indianapolis

                2015: Jay Smith, Syracuse

                2016: Bob Frye, Indianapolis

                2017: Larry Sintz, Brookville

                2018: Michael Zehr, Dubois

                2019: Andy Simpson, Crown Point

                2020: Gary Wier, Plainville

                2021: no winner named (winner from 2020 honored in 2021 because of COVID-19 pandemic).

                2022: Michael Stoffers, Terre Haute

                2023: Ron Day, Plymouth

                2024: P.J. Pitts, Bridgeton