The Final 4 is not only the culmination of the best 3-week tournament in sports: it also serves as the final step of our season-long journey from Midnight Madness to 1 Shining Moment. With his home state of Arizona playing Final 4 host for the 1st time ever, there was no way that HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel was going to miss the chance to head out west and check out as much of the action as possible. While he was unable to finagle a press pass from the NCAA, he was able to attend all the ancillary activities including the College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Contest, an open practice featuring all 4 teams, the College All-Star Game, and the Fan Fest. We already covered Final 4 Friday last month, see below for all the action from Fan Fest the Saturday of the Final 4, and check back later this month for the final edition.
After spending the previous day in Glendale it was back to my old stomping grounds of Phoenix to check out Fan Fest at the Convention Center. I took the light rail for the 1st time ever and it exceeded my expectations: affordable, air-conditioned, and many convenient stops. The 1st thing you are struck by when you walk through the front door is just how massive the place is and how many fans want to check out the center of the college basketball universe:
Of all the things I was hoping/expecting to see I must confess that Charles Barkley’s hoodie that he eats food out of during commercials was not on my list…but it definitely counts as 1 of the most unique items I have ever seen:
Onto the hardware: how does that national championship trophy look up close?
For those of you who like mannequins, each of the 4 semifinalists were represented:
We got lockers, podiums, and plenty of mascots:
And of course, HoopsHD was LIVE with the crystal trophy!
There was 1 area where you could get to meet some of the best coaches in the sport and have them autograph a photo. The 3 who I got to meet were Creighton coach Greg McDermott, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall, and Xavier coach Chris Mack. As an Arizona fan it was just lovely to relive our past 2 NCAA tourney losses at the hands of the Shockers/Musketeers, but it was still neat to meet 3 of the best in the business. I expected them all to have some underlings taking care of everything behind the scenes, but the woman taking photos of Coach Mack and 1 of his old players turned out to be…his wife Christi, who happens to be a member of the Dayton Hall of Fame due to her own basketball exploits as a player.
After that, since the Fan Fest staff was unable to arrange interviews for me with anyone (although I still appreciate the credential!), I just started running around the Convention Center getting as many autographs/photos as I could:
Former NBA Slam Dunk champion Cedric Ceballos:
A coaching panel trio featuring Steve Lavin, Bruce Pearl, and Mike Anderson:
2-time NBA All-Star Terrell Brandon:
Former WCC POY at Gonzaga Ronny Turiaf:
I had to save the best for last: 1997 NCAA tourney MOP Miles Simon
It seems like only 20 years ago the world watched Miles clutching the basketball at the end of the title game overtime win over Kentucky to clinch the Battle of the Wildcats with the memorable line “Simon Says Championship!” The current ESPN broadcaster has aged gracefully over the past 2 decades and gave this Arizona fan a hearty “Bear Down!” as I walked away. Hope you enjoyed the 2nd installment of my photo essay, and tune in later this month for #3.