Rochester, NY (WROC) - The NCAA men's basketball championship game is Monday night and the Rochester natives will be front and center.
Referee Jeff Anderson will join the caretaker for the game between North Carolina and Kansas, which is scheduled for a tip-off at 9:20 p.m. EDT.
NCAA officials announced Friday that Anderson was among the referees selected for the Final Four and title games. This is the fifth time Anderson has been selected for the Final Four.
The local referee gained notoriety not only for his performance but also for the way he ran. Jeffrey Anderson has a fan account on Twitter that lets people know when Anderson and his high knees are working out a game. He says he adopted his own unique running style only to please his chiropractor.
In a 2020 interview with News8's AJ Feldman, Anderson said he didn't expect his basketball career to turn like this. After graduating from Franklin High, he was playing recreationally, that is, until a friend convinced him to go to refereeing class.
He said, 'It was a natural thing for me when I went out of court. "I don't know why, I can't tell you why, but I picked it up so fast. I haven't looked back since."
Anderson said he still remembers being nervous the first time before the sectional championship games at the Big House in Rochester. A few years ago he worked the national championship game in front of about 70,000 people.
"The stage is incredible. You stand there and say, 'Hey man, that's what I did,'" Anderson says. "Sometimes success comes. Sometimes we get to a certain level and when it's all over I become one of the happiest people in the world."
Anderson is one of Rochester's many collegiate referees, including his son Joshua, who began serving on D1 games two years ago.
In a 2017 interview with News 8 anchor Adam Chodak, Anderson said that when he was not traveling, he would spend his time in Rochester working with children through CYO, AAU, and the Boys & Girls Clubs. Huh. He also said that he remained connected with local caretakers through the Rochester Basketball Officials Board 60.
"This is where I grew up, this is where I belong," Anderson said.