Eric Oberman Named Organization President; Longtime Board Chair Barry Goheen to Leave Post at the End of 2024
ATLANTA (January 23, 2024) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club (ATOC) announced several leadership changes today, including Executive Director Eric Oberman being named the organization’s president.
The ATOC also announced that Board Chair Barry Goheen will step down from that position, which he has held since 2008, at the end of the year. Tim McGhee, a member of the ATOC Board of Directors since 2006 and founder of MSP Sports, appointed as vice chair and is set to take over as chair in 2025, serving a term of three years.
“It has been an honor to serve as the Board Chair of the Naismith Awards,” said Goheen. “Over the past 15 years, we have grown the Naismith Awards family to what it is today – the top honor for high school and college basketball players and coaches to receive. I want to thank everyone for their support over the last 15 years – Board members, sponsors, partners, and other friends of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. I’m proud of what we have accomplished and am confident these awards will continue to grow and prosper. I look forward to assisting Eric and Tim in any way possible and watching their commitment to taking the organization to greater heights.”
“I am thrilled to continue to lead the Atlanta Tipoff Club under the title of president,” Oberman said. “I want to thank Barry for his leadership, helping us achieve remarkable goals, and taking this organization from a small nonprofit to a leading brand in the college basketball space. His contributions will continue to fuel our growth. At the same time, I look forward to the energy and passion that Tim will bring when his term begins. These are exciting times for the entire organization.”
The ATOC, founded in 1956, administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious individual national honors in high school and college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s high school and college basketball players and coaches and gives lifetime achievement awards to basketball contributors and college officials.
Additionally, the ATOC annually recognizes top Georgia college players, coaches, and Atlanta high school basketball standouts.
The entire lineup of Naismith Awards includes:
- Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s and Men’s College Player of the Year
- Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s and Men’s College Coach of the Year
- Naismith Women’s and Men’s College Defensive Player of the Year
- Naismith Women’s and Men’s College Official of the Year (Lifetime Achievement)
- Naismith Outstanding Contributors to Women’s and Men’s Basketball (Lifetime Achievement)
- Jersey Mike’s Naismith Girls’ and Boys’ National High School Player of the Year
- Jersey Mike’s Naismith Girls’ and Boys’ National High School Coach of the Year
Oberman started in 2007 when the Atlanta Sports Council (ASC), a division of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, managed the ATOC. He was promoted to executive director in 2010 and has been responsible for growing ATOC’s assets, increasing the membership on the board of directors, and boosting the national visibility of the Naismith Awards through awards activation, marketing, branding, and events.
Oberman spearheaded the creation of the prestigious Naismith High School Coach of the Year award in 2008. Over the years, he continued to elevate the award’s impact on the sport, creating the Naismith Awards Invitational Celebrity Golf Tournament in 2011 and adding the Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year to the Final Four brunch in 2012. Three years later, he facilitated the separation from the ASC, making the ATOC a fully independent organization, and became the only full-time employee of the ATOC.
He added the Final Four Welcome Dinner in 2016 and shifted the awarding of all national awards to be presented at the Naismith Awards Brunch. In 2017, he created a university partnership program to hire college undergraduates to create content and manage the Naismith Awards and Atlanta Tipoff Club’s social media platforms.
Oberman led the season-long activation to celebrate the 50th awarding of the Naismith Trophy in 2018, which included a documentary that aired on CBS during the Final Four and added the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year to the awards family. The following year, he established a community engagement component to give back to local communities with a gym renovation in Final Four markets. In the last two years, he has developed an enhanced activation for the award at the NCAA Women’s Final Four.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include AXIA Time, Jersey Mike’s Subs and Werner Ladder.
Media Contact:
Traci Messier
Jackson Spalding for the Atlanta Tipoff Club
[email protected]
706-816-6022