May 21, 2010 9:22:06 AM

Washington men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar (left) believes intercollegiate athletics is in good hands with NCAA President-Elect Mark Emmert.

The NCAA Executive Committee announced the six-year Washington president as the Association's fifth chief executive April 27.

Romar has worked closely with Emmert for the last six years, and he says the rest of membership will discover what he already knows.

"If you told me I could pick anyone to do something like this, I would pick him," said Romar, who was hired to lead the Huskies in 2002. "He could be a leader in any organization and guide it as good as or better than anyone else."

Romar was in Indianapolis on May 13-14 for a National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors meeting and to take part in a mock selection, bracketing and seeding exercise of the Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

For those in the membership who have never crossed paths with Emmert, Romar says they will likely see a side of Emmert he has come to know well.

"He is more talented than he comes across to people. What I mean by that is, for as talented as he is, he has a great deal of humility," said Romar, who guided the Huskies to the East Regional semifinals two months ago. "As a president of a public institution, he has a great feel for athletics and its place within the university."

Romar, who has coached Washington to a 171-91 record over eight seasons, was also impressed with how accessible Emmert is, regardless of where he might be at the time.

"I could literally pick up the phone at anytime from anywhere and call him," Romar said. "That would be whether he was in Seattle or Bangkok. It didn't matter where he was. If I didn't get him, he would call me back."

He isn't completely sure if other coaches have that kind of relationship with their institutional chief executives, but he can speak freely about his circumstance.

"He's the president of the university, and when I did reach him, he never came across as if he was busy," Romar said. "And you know he's always busy. But he comes across as he has time for you."

Romar jokingly added: "That was whether we were winning or losing."

Romar signed a 10-year contract extension at Washington on April 19. According to reports from Seattle, the contract took only minutes to negotiate because of the good working relationship he has with the university administration.

He knows Emmert will be tough for Washington to replace.

"It's like losing a great player," Romar said. "You don't replace that player just like that. He's unique. I feel like if he was president of any company, they would feel the same way if they lost him. He's that talented."

Romar's team received an NCAA Public Recognition Award on May 12 for scoring among the top 10 percent of all Division I men's basketball programs in regards to the Academic Progress Rate.

The APR provides a real-time view of a team's academic success by tracking the progress of each student-athlete during the school year. By measuring eligibility and retention each semester or quarter, the APR provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

Romar is also encouraged that an NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Ethics Coalition was formed in May 2009. The group is chaired by John Beilein of Michigan.

"Coaches know more than anyone what's going on out there, because this is where we live," Romar said.

On the court, Romar is encouraged that the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee recommended adding a restricted area arc two feet from the center of the basket on an experimental basis in multi-team events and exhibition games next season. The experiment would extend last year's rules change that makes it illegal for a secondary defender to take a charge underneath the basket.

"You can teach your team where they need to be to take a charge," Romar said. "Either you are there, or you're not. This is much easier than the other way. There is always going to be a human element in any call, but hopefully it is easier for officials to make that call."