BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mark Whitworth has been appointed to the newly created position of Associate Commissioner for Men’s Basketball for the Southeastern Conference, it was announced today by the league office.
Whitworth has been a member of the SEC staff for 25 years and most recently held the position of Associate Commissioner for External Affairs. In that role he was the liaison with the conference men’s basketball coaches and worked closely with the SEC media partners.
“We are pleased to have a senior leader who is able to focus exclusively on SEC men’s basketball and Mark is ideal for this role, “said Commissioner Mike Slive. “Based on his experience with the conference and our coaches, as well as his relationships with our partners, Mark will be a full time advocate for and effectively manage our efforts to promote and enhance SEC basketball.”
As Associate Commissioner for Men’s Basketball, Whitworth will be the full-time administrator for men’s basketball. In that role, he will serve as liaison with the conference coaches, oversee the conference tournament, coordinate non-conference scheduling, prepare the conference schedule and work closely with SEC media partners in matters pertaining to basketball.
“SEC basketball is a world class sport with great tradition and all the elements are here to grow the sport and the brand,” Whitworth said. “I am excited to work with the Commissioner and our coaches to elevate men’s basketball to a level of even higher success.”
The SEC has won three of the last eight NCAA men’s basketball championships, has two universities represented among the top ten schools that have won multiple NCAA men’s basketball championships and is third in the number of NCAA men’s basketball championships won by a conference.
The SEC member institutions have recently focused on raising the profile of men’s basketball by agreeing to collectively improve non-conference scheduling and the launch of the SEC Network in the fall of 2014 will provide more exposure for the sport than at any other time in league history.
“The SEC has a strong tradition of success and intense competition in men’s basketball,” said C.M. Newton, basketball consultant for the SEC and a former long-time head coach. “Mark’s appointment to this important role is coming at a critical time to continuing the conference’s success in the future.”– SECSports.com
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