PENDLETON — They’re the people on the basketball court who at times have a huge impact on the outcome of a game, but when they do the job right, fans never know they’re there.
Some of the top officials in the game of Indiana high school basketball have been recognized for their lifetime of work by representatives from the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Norman Hathcoat, who lived in Pendleton for 60 years and was a basketball official for 35 years, has been selected as an honoree for his contribution to the game with the 2018 Men’s Center Circle Officials Award.
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Hathcoat, 82, joins two others, Steve Fisher and the late Terry Bartell, who also will be recognized for their officiating careers with the award.
“I think it’s great, but I never expected anything like this,” Hathcoat said. “I love high school basketball and high school sports, period.”
Hathcoat, who always loved playing the game, decided to go into officiating to stick close to the sport.
Center Circle Officials Award winners will be honored at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame’s 57th Annual Men’s Awards Banquet on March 21 in Indianapolis.
While the Center Circle Officials Award is not an induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, it is still a distinction and high honor, according to the hall of fame.
Hathcoat, a 1954 graduate of Anderson High School, participated in basketball, football and track, according to the hall of fame.
His officiating career includes 26 sectional, 23 regional, six semistate and three state finals assignments; the state finals were in 1985, 1990 and 1994.
In addition to several holiday tournament games, Hathcoat worked the Hall of Fame Classic tournament four times.
A member of the Central Officials Association, he served two terms as president and two terms as vice president, as well as three years in rules interpretation and involvement in mentoring young officials.
In 1998, he received the Roy Gardner Award from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association for his achievements in the sport.
Hathcoat, now retired, made his living at General Motors in Anderson.
He’s in his 62nd year of marriage to the former Marge Roach. Their children are Carol, Connie and Ronald, who have also picked up the love for the game, playing basketball or passing it on to their children.
Marge Hathcoat used to always go to his games when he played sports, so when he decided to become an official, she did the same thing.
“He’s had lots of fun with it, and I have, too,” Marge Hathcoat said. “It’s been his life.”
After Hathcoat retired from officiating, he helped area coaches with the game, attending practices and contests to help make local players better.
Hathcoat now resides in Noblesville.
There will be a midday reception, free and open to the public, at the Hall of Fame museum in New Castle in March.
The evening banquet, during which awards are to be presented, will take place at the Primo Banquet Hall, 2615 National Ave., Indianapolis.
Banquet reservations are available at hoopshall.com/events or by calling 765-529-1891.
For more details, email [email protected].