Dee Kantner: From Exeter to NCAA Glory, Officiating Trailblazer with Deep Berks Roots

On a recent April evening at PJ Whelihan’s in West Lawn, Berks County native Dee Kantner sat about 20 minutes from the Exeter High School campus where her basketball journey began.

She was back in Berks for a fundraising event hosted by the 3 Point Goal organization, which supports local girls basketball under the leadership of President Jean Frey, who coached Kantner in high school, and who remains one of her biggest mentors.

Kantner is a legend in the world of basketball officiating, but in Berks County, she’s something even more special — a trailblazer who never forgot her roots.

3 Point Goal organization president and former Exeter head coach Jean Frey (left) with former player and legendary referee Dee Kantner. (Sean McBryan photo)

“It goes way back,” Kantner said, reminiscing about her high school years. “I loved basketball, and playing for Coach Frey was just great. She pushed me hard. I played varsity all four years, and I’m not sure I ever got a positive comment,” she said, laughing. “But she knew how to get the best out of you. She’s had a tremendous impact on my life.”

Kantner's high school athletic career came shortly after Title IX was passed in the country, prohibiting discrimination against sex in federally-funded educational programs.

Under Frey’s guidance, Kantner helped lead Exeter to back-to-back Berks County championships and was a part of the first girls basketball team in the county to win both a Berks and district title — a historic accomplishment that helped lay the foundation for the girls basketball landscape today.

After graduating from Exeter, Kantner headed to the University of Pittsburgh, where she played field hockey and pursued a degree in engineering. Her plan wasn’t to become a full-time official. That path revealed itself unexpectedly.

“My senior year in college, I didn’t have any money, and a good friend who was a referee said, ‘You know the game. Try officiating,’” Kantner recalled. “So I did some grade school and church league games in the Pittsburgh area and just loved it.”

From there, things snowballed. She worked her way up through high school and Division II games while juggling a full-time job with Westinghouse Electric Company. In 1984, the company relocated her to North Carolina. At the time, there were very few women officiating Division I games in the region, and Kantner was offered an opportunity by a local connection to begin officiating in the Southern Conference.

“She called me and said, ‘You want to work Division I?’ and I said, ‘Sure, why not?’ I didn’t even really know what I was getting into,” Kantner said.

She was invited to a clinic in Atlanta that year, where she met June Courteau— a pioneering figure in women’s officiating and the national rules editor at the time. Courteau became a close friend and mentor, guiding Kantner through the ranks. By age 24, Kantner had already begun working major games, all while holding down and traveling long miles and hours to keep up with a demanding job at Westinghouse.

“I’d work all day, drive to a game at Maryland, officiate, and then drive back for work the next morning. There wasn’t much sleep, but I figured it out,” she said.

Her big break came in 1997, when she and Violet Palmer made history as the first women ever hired to officiate in the NBA. The league, under Commissioner David Stern and officials like Darrell Garretson, had a vision: open the officiating ranks to qualified women. Kantner had proven herself in the college ranks and jumped at the chance, even though it meant taking a pay cut from her engineering job.

“I worked in the NBA for five years,” she said. “It was tough at times. People wondered, ‘Can they handle it?’ There were a lot of eyes on us. But we did our jobs, and I think we helped pave the way for others.”

Today there are seven women working as full-time referees in the NBA.

Kantner has gone on to become one of the most respected officials in the sport, with 26 NCAA Final Fours and 16 national championship games under her belt. She’s set a prime example for the next generation of women officials, all while maintaining a deep passion for the game.

“I still love being on the floor,” she said. “I don’t do this because I have to anymore. Financially, I’m stable. I do it because I still enjoy it.”

When she’s not on the court, Kantner has a wide array of interests. She’s an avid beekeeper — yes, complete with veil and all — a motorcycle enthusiast, and a volunteer with Meals on Wheels. Her summers are spent recharging, teaching at officiating camps, and mentoring young referees.

“I’ve been stung in the face before,” she joked about beekeeping. “But it’s worth it. Once the season ends, I try to enjoy life as much as I can. I’ve worked two jobs most of my life. Now, I try to balance it out.”

Despite living in North Carolina, Kantner keeps an eye on the game back home in Berks County — largely thanks to Coach Frey, who still attends games regularly and keeps her up to date.

“I know where Coach Frey sits at every game,” Kantner laughed (opposite of the scores table and on the highest bleacher). “She tells me everything — who’s playing well, what teams are on the rise. I’ve heard all about Amaya Stewart at Wyomissing.”

While her own travel schedule during the season makes it hard to attend games locally, Kantner is always cheering from afar. Her career now often takes her coast-to-coast, thanks to NCAA conference realignments.

“The travel’s brutal now,” she said. “I had a noon game at Stanford and couldn’t even get a flight back to Charlotte until the next morning. Red-eyes at this age hit a little differently.”

As for what’s next, Kantner doesn't plan on slowing down yet. She’ll be 65 in May, but continues to enjoy refereeing and feels her signature "don't push it" method of a furrowed brow hasn't lost its effectiveness to a player or coach arguing a call.

“There’s a moment in every game where I catch myself smiling,” she said. “That’s when I know I’m still having fun. And when the right eyebrow goes up — that’s the warning,” she added with a grin. “Everyone knows it.”

Kantner is a shining example of what perseverance, passion, and a strong foundation can achieve. She helped open doors for women in officiating and she’s always carried a bit of Berks County with her on that journey.