02-04-2025
Local refs on national stage in NCAA March Madness
MERCER COUNTY, Pa (WKBN) – The 2025 NCAA Tournament has featured referees from right here in the Valley.
Watch below for in-depth videos from Farrell's Chris Pacsi and Hermitage's Greg Evans!
Pasci is a Farrell native and graduated from Kennedy Catholic in 2007. He then graduated from Duquesne University in 2011 and now lives in Dallas, Texas.
'After a while, I just needed some spending money, so that's that's kind of how I started officiating on weekends doing little kids basketball,' said Pasci.
The Farrell native played varsity basketball throughout his whole high school career at KC. His father, Eugene Pacsi, was also the Mayor of Farrell.
Pacsi started refereeing kids' basketball games in Pennsylvania, then went to Division II and III basketball.
Then he got his started in the NBA's developmental league, the G-League. Now he referees Division I college basketball and is also a realtor.
'The excitement, the level of intensity and to be a part of that experience, I can't even express how awesome it is,' said Pacsi.
This is Pacsi's second consecutive year referring the NCAA Men's Tournament. In 2024, he refereed in Dayton for the First Four games.
Evans is from Hermitage and still lives there. He also graduated from Hickory High School and played varsity basketball for three seasons.
'Went to Hickory High School, as did my kids, that's home,' said Evans. 'It's always been home and it's still home.'
The Hermitage native picked up officiating as a way to make extra cash for his family after graduating from Penn State. Evans' father was also a high school referee in the Pennsylvania area.
He primarily works as a Big East Conference referee but could be called to work in games from 12 to 13 other conferences.
'If you can go to the Big East Tournament, man, what an experience it is,' said Evans. 'The people, the passion, the Big East. It still reminds me of as a kid growing up in the mid-80s watching those teams play.'
Evans has worked the NCAA Men's Tournament games every year since 2021. This season, he refereed First Round tournament games in Milwaukee.
He is currently working the new 2025 College Basketball Crown Tournament in Las Vegas.
'We always talk about bringing a little bit of Western Pa. out of us, that's toughness, that's grind, that's passion,' said Evans.
Pacsi and Evans both aspire to work further into the NCAA College Basketball Tournaments and, hopefully, a Final Four game.
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