Moyer-Gleich picked for playoffs, 1st woman since 2012

Ashley Moyer-Gleich checked her email just before heading to the airport on Saturday for a trip to what she thought would be her final game of the season.

That’s when the news came in: She has more games to do.

Moyer-Gleich will soon become only the second woman in NBA history to referee a playoff game. She was one of 36 referees announced by the league Thursday as its referee selections for Round 1 of the playoffs starting this weekend.

“It’s surreal,” Moyer-Gleich said. “It really is.”

She joins Violet Palmer as the only women picked by the NBA for a playoff assignment. Palmer worked nine playoff games between 2006 and 2012.

Moyer-Gleich, a former Division II player at Millersville University in her native Pennsylvania, was promoted to the full-time NBA officiating ranks in November 2018. She’s worked more than 200 regular-season games in her six seasons and is one of three firsttime playoff selections by the league this year — Marat Kogut and J.T. Orr are the others.

“I worked four games as an alternate last year, so obviously, my goal was I wanted to be an alternate again because that’s just sustaining the growth that I’ve had in my career,” MoyerGleich said.

Spurs’ Collins needs surgery

SAN ANTONIO » San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins has a torn labrum that will require surgery but is expected to be ready for the start of next season.

Collins played 69 games, the secondmost of his six-year career, and averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. The Spurs finished 22-60 for the second consecutive season.