UNM's athletic director Eddie Nuñez named chair of NCAA men's basketball oversight committee

University of New Mexico athletic director Eddie Nuñez has been named the chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee, the school announced Friday. His three-year term begins Aug. 1 and runs through June 30, 2026.

“I’m very humbled and honored to be selected to the Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee,” Nuñez said in a statement released by the school. “I’m excited to work with our committee members as well as everyone to advance Men’s Basketball in this new and exciting time for the sport. I’m proud to be able to represent The University of New Mexico on a national stage.”

Nuñez takes over for Judy McCloud, Conference USA commissioner. The current make-up of the committee includes just three other athletic directors. Several conference commissioners, associate commissioners, two student-athletes, one coach and two faculty athletic representatives make up the bulk of the committee.

According to the NCAA Governance website, the Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee “ensures that appropriate oversight of men’s basketball is maintained, will enhance the development and public perception of the sport and make recommendations related to regular-season and postseason men’s basketball. The committee will prioritize enhancement of the student-athlete educational experience (academically and athletically), and in doing so, promote student-athletes’ personal growth and leadership development.”

The committee will review recommendations from the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and process other NCAA Tournament championship-related issues. It will assume many of the duties of the former NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Issues Committee and will provide direction to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Rules Committee regarding playing rules.

Nuñez, who is currently a member of the NCAA Division I Council, is also on the Board and on the Executive Board of Lead1, and he is the first and only Group of 5 athletic director ever to serve on the executive committee.

In 2021, Nuñez became just the third person ever honored by the Mountain West with the Commissioner’s Award, which he earned for his leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented UNM’s athletic programs from playing and practicing in the state.

Nuñez, who took over as UNM AD in August 2017, played four years of college basketball, two at Miami-Dade Community College before transferring to Florida. He then spent two seasons as a graduate assistant under coach Billy Donovan at Florida before being named a men’s basketball administrative assistant at Marquette.