Hightower has refereed 12 NCAA Division 1 Final Fours . He also officiated the 1990 World Championship of Basketball in South America , the European Basketball Championship in 1993 , and the Goodwill Games in 1994 and 1998 . He is a frequent official in Big Ten and Big East games . Hightower was voted the Naismith Division I Men ’s College Basketball Official of the Year in 1992 . In 1995 , he received the National Association of Sports Officials ’ Gold Whistle Award . In 1998 , he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame . He retired from officiating on December 22 , 2013 , after his final game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in Iowa City
Big East
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Ed Hightower