The biggest chance Brad Stevens ever took, the best game plan he ever drew up, had nothing to do with a prized recruit or
some brilliant set of Xs and Os scrawled out on a greaseboard. It came on the day he decided to quit his job at Eli Lilly
and
Co. and to pursue his first love, basketball.
Butler's triumph has likely eliminated some of the direct visitor spending the city would have seen if Syracuse or Kansas
State would have made it to Indy for this year's Final Four. But corporate excitement could wipe away that loss.
About eight hours after Butler beat second-seeded Kansas State 63-56 to reach the first Final Four in school history, the
Bulldogs returned home to a large crowd and loud cheers.
Corporate hospitality at sports events has been stagnant in recent years, but organizers expect a big bounce for this year’s
NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association is recognizing Hunter’s efforts on behalf of millions of children around the world
who are in need of shoes.
Watching the transformation of Bob Knight from a take-no-guff head basketball coach to the type of glad-handing media type
he would have detested in his previous life has been truly shocking, and a little sad, to behold.
It started as a meeting seven years ago between the NCAA, city and state officials, representatives of the Indiana
Sports Corp. and a few others. The result was an agreement
assuring Indianapolis hosts a major NCAA event every year between now and 2039.
Organizers credit stronger ticket-selling efforts and new promotions for boosting attendance to more than 81,000, the highest
it’s been since the tournament became an annual event in Indianapolis.
Greenspan resigned from IU in 2008 amid NCAA allegations that his department failed to monitor former basketball coach Kelvin
Sampson.
The concept of more being better could be coming to a couple of institutions we know well.
The Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be held in Indianapolis the next two years, but the conference’s
future in the city is uncertain after 2012.
Butler's stellar on-court performance drew big crowds to Hinkle Fieldhouse this season. But some still wonder if the Bulldogs
will have enough financially to retain Brad Stevens as coach.
Annual unscientific survey does not take into account that many employees who participate in office pools devote extra time
to finishing their responsibilities.
A National Collegiate Athletic Association posse will be supplemented by local police officers in search of unlicensed T-shirts
and other memorabilia.
Lawyers for former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon are promising to expose financial information about NCAA’s licensing
contracts the NCAA would rather keep private.
CBS and Turner Sports are discussing a joint bid for the broadcast rights to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament rights if
the
NCAA decides to opt out of its current deal.
Lots of folks in Indianapolis law and sports circles think the Notre Dame athletic director is the right man to replace the
late Myles Brand. But what does Swarbrick think?
A group of academics recently grilled the NCAA about what it plans to do to secure the future of more than three-fourths of
its largest members, whose athletic departments are hemorrhaging cash at a surprising rate.
Greg Shaheen, NCAA senior vice president of basketball and business strategies, said the deal needs tweaking
because Lucas Oil Stadium was in the conceptual stages when Indianapolis won the bid to host the 2010
Final Four.
With less than three months until March Madness tips off, the NCAA and city’s Capital Improvement Board are still trying to work out a lease deal to hold the event at Lucas Oil Stadium April 3 and 5. The CIB’s overhaul is slowing talks, but the board’s new president promises to get the issue on the front burner.
