One NCAA Tournament referee had a very classy gesture for a Liberty Flames player late in Friday’s first-round game in Seattle.
With Liberty trailing Oregon 78-46 in the final minute of Friday’s game, the Flames sent little-used sophomore guard JC Shirer Jr. to the scorer’s table to give him the chance to see the floor in an NCAA Tournament game. With the clock running and neither team having any real incentive to stop it, however, there was a real chance time would run out before Shirer Jr. got the chance to check in.
Referee Roger Ayers was well aware of what was going on, and made sure Shirer Jr. got his moment. Ayers whistled play to a stop and pretended to clean a wet spot on the floor, allowing an appreciative Shirer Jr. to check into the game.
Ref acted like he was cleaning a wet spot so the sub could come in 🤝
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 22, 2025
Respect 🫡 pic.twitter.com/GPQrwlNIRH
Full credit to Ayers, who certainly did not have to do this. Thanks to his move, Shirer Jr. will always be able to say he got to play in March Madness. That might not have been true if Ayers had simply let play go.
Shirer Jr. had only played 42 minutes all season prior to Friday’s game, and had only played in two games this calendar year. Most of his time on the floor came late in blowouts during the non-conference schedule in November and December, so it is easy to see why this opportunity was so cool for him.
Ayers’ move will likely get a much more positive response compared to what another official did in a different game Thursday.
