In any given year, University of Rochester men's basketball Head Coach Luke Flockerzi typically has one goal in mind, coach his team into the postseason tournament in Division III basketball.
 
This year however, Flockerzi's responsibilities with the tournament are two-fold, as he is serving as Chair of the 2023-24 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee.
 
After one season serving on the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) in Rochester's region, Flockerzi's tenure on the Division III national committee began in 2020-21, with no tournament being held that season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He served as Vice-Chair of the committee last season and assumed his role as Chair beginning in early September, 2023.
 
"Since his first day on the committee, Luke has been fully committed to doing right by the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball community," says NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Liaison Alex Morillaro. "He has been a strong voice during meetings, especially during selections. Luke does a great job of seeing the bigger picture and applying the criteria consistently from region to region. I know Luke is ready and will excel in this elevated role on the committee."
 
"There were multiple reasons why I joined the committee in this voluntary leadership role," explains Flockerzi. "One was for the good of the game and to have the opportunity to give back to those in Division III basketball. Another was for my own education in knowing the in's-and-out's about how the committee and tournament selection process works. Lastly, the thought of helping run the Division III basketball championship as a whole was an exciting venture to be a part of."
 
Serving as Chair, Flockerzi's role includes providing leadership and oversight of the 10-person national committee, while also being a spokesperson for the group. The national committee is made up of the chairs of ten Regional Advisory Committees (RAC's) across Division III.
 
Come late February, the national committee, along with liaisons from the NCAA national office, will be tasked with selecting and bracketing the 22 at-large teams to go along with 42 automatic qualifying institutions to make up the 2023-24 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
 
Once the playoffs begin, Flockerzi and the committee will play a big role in oversight and management of the entire national tournament, culminating with the crowning of a Division III Men's Basketball national champion that will take place at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana on March 16, 2024.
 
"Since joining the committee, the coolest thing for me was watching our Chair present the championship trophy during that first tournament experience [in 2021-22]," says Flockerzi. "It really gave me a sense of ownership, that it was our tournament, and that we helped make this whole experience a success."
 
One of Flockerzi's main goals on the committee includes being transparent about the process of selections, in an effort to give coaches across the country a firm target of what they should try to do throughout the season as they schedule and compete.
 
Flockerzi believes during his time, the committee has been successful in that realm.
 
"Our men's basketball committee has done a really good job of educating the Division III community about the process of how we select teams and then doing our best to follow through and do exactly what we say we're going to do," describes the Rochester Head Coach who is in his 14th year at the helm of the Yellowjackets.
 
As the season moves along, Flockerzi stresses that the process is a lot of work, but is a fun and exciting experience at the same time.
 
"I am looking forward to what should be a great championship," says Flockerzi. "The competition and parity at the Division III level right now is going to lead to some really terrific basketball down the stretch."
 
Overall, Flockerzi has been a part of 13 NCAA Division III Tournaments, spanning his time as a player, Assistant Coach, Head Coach and now, National Committee Chair. That record includes coaching Rochester to six NCAA Tournament appearances as Head Coach, including two straight berths in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
 
"This is a really cool professional experience to get a chance to work with people from across the country in different capacities," states Flockerzi. "The group is very hard-working and takes its job very seriously, but also has a lot of fun doing it."
 
In the 2023-24 season, the first set of regional rankings produced by the national committee are set to be released on Tuesday, February 6, with three other rankings set to be conducted prior to the NCAA Tournament selection process that will take place on Sunday, February 25. The full field and selection show for the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship will be revealed on NCAA.com on Monday, February 26.