Let me first say that no one from either the NCAA or Springfield asked me to do this. I want to get that out of the way because this is going to sound like an advertisement, though you’re on your own as far as getting the necessary phone number or web link for more information goes.
It’s likely that the women’s Final Four isn’t going to fill Blake Arena to capacity as it did last season. Last year’s games had three schools that draw huge fan support- Hope, Southern Maine, and Scranton- and for two of those schools, travel was pretty easy. This year’s contest has only one school- NYU with both a huge fan base and a location within three hours of Springfield, Mass.
It’s too bad, because last year’s Final Four was the most fun of the six I’ve covered for this site. There was an energy in the building that greatly enhanced the event. The players felt it. The coaches felt it. And the fans felt it.
So I’ll say this, and hopefully it won’t sound like shilling. If this event has even the slightest bit of significance to you, you should go.
If you’re a fan of any of these teams, it goes without saying that you should be there. This is a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity and if cost/work/school doesn’t get in the way, you should be there, loud and proud.
If you’re a basketball fan, go to “ooh” and “ah,” which is what I remember most from the first one of these I attended, when Washington University and St. Benedict went toe-to-toe for 40 minutes in Danbury, and my 28k dial-up connection on my laptop allowed for the occasional listing of game updates on “Posting Up” (how far we’ve come since then). There was a buzz in the building, particularly when 3-time national player of the year Alia Fischer hit a couple hook shots, one with each hand.
If you’re a player, go to see what your game is missing. That’s what Eastern Connecticut’s Allison Coleman did, driving all the way out to Terre Haute, Ind. to watch the Final 4. The next year, she was playing in the game, and despite the team’s loss to Trinity, her efforts in sparking comebacks in both the semifinals and title game, made her and her team the story of the tournament.
If you’re a coach, go to take notes. One told me last year of sitting close enough to the Southern Maine bench to hear the team’s coaches making in-game adjustments and finding the process fascinating. The coach sitting next to me at this year’s Sweet 16 at Emmanuel, pulled out pen and paper every few minutes and started diagramming the plays run by DePauw with machine-like precision. One listening to our coverage on the internet said they were so inspired by our descriptions that they were thinking of making a last-minute 1,000 mile trip to check out what they were missing.
You may recall that in this space a few weeks ago, I wrote about my 80-mile trek to catch scoring maching Mike Hoyt’s final collegiate game for Mount St. Mary. The weather wasn’t too great that day, but while sitting in a parking lot outside a Barnes & Noble in Hartford, Connecticut, I thought to myself: “Is this something I’m going to wish I had seen?” Next thing I knew, I was sitting next to Hoyt’s family, 2 rows from the court. I’m glad I went that day and I think you’ll be glad you went if you find your way to Springfield.
Hoopsville will be airing Thursday night from Roanoke, Va., in a live show from the Wyndham Hotel starting at 8 p.m. ET. We’ll talk about the tournament so far, the Final Four games, and talk with each team as they return from the championship banquet. Come sit and listen, ask questions, point and laugh at Dave, etc.