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AMES -- Iowa State University Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard will join the 10-member NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee beginning on Sept. 1.
The committee is charged with selecting, seeding and bracketing the men's field or the NCAA Tournament. Administrators are nominated by their conference.
"It's an unbelievable honor to have the opportunity to serve on this prominent committee," Pollard said. "Many of my peers, who have served previously, said it was a once-in-a-lifetime professional opportunity that I will cherish forever."
Pollard will serve on the committee for a five-year term. He said it doesn't come without sacrifice, but he believes Iowa State has a staff in place to pick up for some of his absence.
"It will be a heavy workload and require me to miss attending the next five Big 12 basketball tournaments, as well as our wrestling and men's and women's basketball team's participation in their respective NCAA tournaments," Pollard said. "However, I am confident our department will not miss a beat because we have an outstanding senior leadership team who is more than capable of leading our department."
Each committee member is responsible for monitoring approximately seven conferences throughout the playing season.
"I am thrilled that Jamie is being added to the committee," Cyclones head men's basketball coach Steve Prohm said. "It's an amazing honor for Jamie personally and it's exciting for Iowa State to be represented on a committee of this stature."
The only other Cyclone athletics director to serve on the committee was Gene Smith, who began his term in 1999.
"I want to thank Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby for supporting my candidacy and I'm excited to represent our conference on this national stage," Pollard said.