Area basketball referee Jay Smith received the 2015 Mildred Ball Award for his officiating work.

INDIANAPOLIS – Former Wawasee educator and area referee Jay Smith is the winner of the 2015 Mildred Ball Award for his work as a basketball referee.

Smith became a licensed basketball official during the 1971-72 season while he was a college student at Goshen College, and he has been pounding the hardwood for 43 years working high school boys, high school girls and women’s college games at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA levels.

Smith was a founding member of Northern Indiana Officials Association many years ago in Milford, serving many years as President, Basketball Chair, basketball clinician and basketball rules interpretor.

Over the years, Smith has worked the Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle five times (three boys, two girls), and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame honored him with the Center Circle Officials Award in 2009.

The IHSAA honored Smith as its Outstanding Girls Basketball Official in 2001 and as its Outstanding Boys Basketball Official in 2010.

Still active as an official, Smith this season worked his 38th girls basketball sectional. He also has worked 32 regionals, 16 semi-states and five girls State Finals. In the boys tournament, he has worked 37 sectionals, 27 regionals, nine semi-states and three State Finals. Smith worked the last single-class basketball tournament championship game in the Hoosier Dome with Ray Tebbe in 1997.

Throughout his career, Smith was active officiating multiple sports: volleyball (14 years), baseball (24 years) and football (25 years).

A 1970 graduate of Mentone High School, he earned 10 varsity letters in baseball, cross country, track and basketball. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Goshen College in 1974 while participating in cross country and track. He earned an Indiana University master’s degree from IPFW in 1997.

At 63, Smith still officiates and runs a full-time painting business after retiring from Wawasee Community Schools in June 2014. At Wawasee, Smith was a middle school science teacher and coached for 33 years.

Smith and his wife, Patricia, have been married 31 years and have four adult children and eight grandchildren. When time permits hobbies include fishing, gardening and woodworking.