The NCAA News - News and FeaturesNovember 24, 1997
NCAA plans for Hoop City coming into sharper focus
The Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are four months away, but one major part of both Final Fours is beginning to take shape.
The components are coming together for NCAA Hoop City, the Association's first interactive fan festival. Hoop City will debut March 26-29 with the Division I Women's Basketball Championship in Kansas City, Missouri; for the Division I Men's Basketball Championship in San Antonio, Hoop City will run March 26-30.
Hoop City will be modeled after a city, including features such as a library, a city park and a town square. Interactive events will test the shooting and dribbling skills of participants.
Hoop City tickets will go on sale December 1 in Kansas City and San Antonio at local Ticketmaster outlets.
Both Hoop Cities will be conducted over enormous amounts of space in downtown convention centers. The men's Hoop City will occur throughout 100,000 square feet of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, while the women's event will use about the same space at Kansas City's Bartle Hall.
Not only will Hoop City offer fun for fans of all ages, it also will feature several mini-Youth Education through Sports (YES) clinics. These clinics, which will feature instruction from Division I coaches and student-athletes, will be available for kids ages 7 through 18.
Those interested may register once inside Hoop City. Space is limited in the mini-sessions, but larger YES clinics will be conducted off-site in both cities.
Other Hoop City features that have been identified so far include the following:
The Hershey Autograph Stage. Coaches, network personalities and other guest celebrities will be available to sign autographs at an autograph stage, presented by Hershey.
Beat the Clock. Michael Jordan did it for North Carolina in 1982 men's championship game, and Charlotte Smith did it for the Tar Heel women 12 years later. Fans will get a chance to see if they can beat the buzzer and hit the game-winning shot.
Hoop City Square. Located in the heart of Hoop City, the square will be the site of the youth clinics, performances by the Final Four bands and cheerleaders, and other entertainment throughout the five-day event.
Hoop City Champion Certificate Booth. Once a participant has taken part in at least eight of the interactive events, he or she may receive certification as a Hoop City Champion.
Dribble Master. Participants will be able to test their footwork as they maneuver through obstacles, including giant defenders, a few sets of stairs and a bridge.
Free-Throw Challenge. The single-game record for both the men's and women's championships is 16-for-16. Fans, who can keep shooting until they miss, will get to see how many consecutive free throws they can make.
NCAA Hall of Champions. Fans can gain information on other NCAA national championships.
Hoop City Mall. Available NCAA-licensed merchandise includes apparel, video games and basketball records books.
Hoop City Park. A stroll around the park will provide fans with an opportunity to participate in the slam-dunk event. Those with toddlers may wish to visit Kids Court, which is located in the park.
Oreo O Zone. Fans get an opportunity to test their dunking skills on five goals of varying height.
The Longest Shot. They are the shots that provide the most thrills in a college basketball game. Fans will get to test their ability to connect from half-court away and farther.
Kids Court. Children ages 2 to 5 will burn up some energy in various activities in Kids Court. Parents will appreciate the park benches nearby.
Three-Point Shot. The three-pointer has been around since the 1986-87 season and is set at 19 feet, 9 inches, from the goal. The Three-Point Shot will give fans 60 seconds to shoot three racks of balls from "downtown."
Video Arcade. Several NCAA-licensed games are available, including March Madness, NCAA Basketball and NCAA Football '97.
CBS You Call the Play. Fans can sit in the seat of the people who call every minute of NCAA championship basketball action and take away a free videotape of their performance as they make the call of an NCAA tournament game.
In addition, CBS will broadcast from Hoop City at various times throughout both Final Fours. Fans will be able to see the broadcasts as they occur. Also, local and national radio shows will originate from Hoop City.
A fan festival called Fan Jam previously was conducted at the men's Final Four by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). This will be the first fan festival for the Women's Final Four.
Tickets will be $7 for adults and $5 for children (ages 2 and under will be admitted free). NABC and Women's Basketball Coaches Association members will be admitted free by displaying their coaches' credentials.
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