Bonita Spence and Reggie Cofer Selected as 2024 Naismith College Officials of the Year

Spence, who passed away in 2013, worked every NCAA women’s tournament starting in 2000, including the Final Four in 2001 and 2005. She was an active official for 27 years in the Atlantic Coast Conference, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Ivy League, MAAC, Northeast Conference, Patriot League and Southeastern Conference. Spence also refereed WNBA games from 1999-2009.

Spence played at Monmouth and was the point guard on the school’s first Division I team in 1982. She set the school’s assist record that season, a mark matched a year later and still stands today. Spence was a graduate assistant for the school a year later. She also worked as a principal investigator in the New Jersey office of the public defender in Newark for more than 20 years.

“Bonita’s passion for basketball extended far beyond the court, as she found her true calling in officiating the game she loved,” said her cousin Byron Dobson. “Winning this award would leave her speechless and is a testament to her dedication and selflessness. Though she always placed others above herself, this recognition is a reflection of the profound impact she made on the sport and everyone around her. Accepting this on her behalf is an honor, and I know she would be deeply humbled.”

Cofer was a Division I official from 1991-2005, working in the Southeastern, Atlantic Coast, Big South, Colonial and Southern conferences. He was selected to work in the NCAA Tournament from 1999-2005, including two Sweet 16 appearances and the 2003 NCAA Men’s National Championship game.

In 2020, he joined the SEC Officiating Consortium and was the Coordinator of Officials for the Sun Belt Conference and SWAC. He was also a member of the NCAA Mechanics Committee.

Upon his passing in November 2023, the CCA dedicated the 2024-25 Men’s Basketball Officiating Manual to his memory.

“Reggie would be extremely humbled and shocked to receive the Naismith Men’s College Official of the Year award as it’s such a prestigious honor,” said his brother, Garen Cofer. “Reggie always had a passion for refereeing and also developing young referees to reach their fullest potential. It was always his ultimate goal to give back to the sport because college basketball had such a positive impact on his life. He genuinely cared about everyone he worked with.”

Former winners of the award include:

Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include AXIA Time, Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.