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Friday, March 30
Final Four words ready to collide
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- There are two Final Four events going on here: one for the coaches and one for the players who are actually playing in the games.
For a few days, the hotel lobby of the Hilton (the coaches headquarter hotel at the Final Four) is a breeding ground for gossip, rumors and, plenty of times, actual facts on job movement.
Coaches mill around in the lobby area working on jobs, trying to get jobs and talking about jobs. The most common expression is "it's a done deal" and usually it's not always true. Many times the deal is far from done and sometimes the coach isn't even interviewing.
But there's no harm in the talk. The slime of the coaches hotel permeates amid the coaches and outside with ticket brokers trying to buy tickets off coaches and sell them for a markup from a few hundred to nearly $10,000 or more.
Contrast that scene with the one Michigan State finds itself in this weekend. The two experiences don't even compare.
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There's not much to see out here but a bunch of airplanes. But we'll stay focused. ” |
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— David Thomas,
Michigan State senior |
The Spartans are staying in a sparse hotel out by the airport. Both are Hiltons, but Michigan State's is 15 miles and a world apart from the Hilton in downtown Minneapolis. It's pretty subdued. In fact, there were about five fans hanging around the hotel. Why? There really isn't anything but the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport nearby. Most of the Michigan State fans are where they ought to be in downtown Minneapolis.
"There's not much to see out here but a bunch of airplanes," Michigan State senior David Thomas said. "But we'll stay focused."
Maryland is off in St. Paul at a secluded hotel. Duke is off the beaten path outside of downtown Minneapolis, too. Only Arizona chose to stay in the heart of the city. The Wildcats were at the Marquette Hotel in the middle of a relatively low-key mall, but a few shopping options nonetheless. The players will have at least the option of wandering around and soaking up a little bit of the atmosphere (at the same locale as the ESPN set).
The restaurants and bars are starting to fill with fans with pedestrian traffic picking up as the games draw closer. The Spartans hope at some point they'll get a chance to taste some of the flavor without losing sight of their goal to win the national title.
"We're going to get out and have some fun, jump on the bus and be around everything at some point," Michigan State's Charlie Bell said.
The games take over on Saturday night as the first part of the Final Four, the schmooze fest, begins to fade. While the job talk certainly dominates discussion, the hotel lobby becomes a sort of validation for coaches over the past year.
Coaches like Indiana's Mike Davis and Illinois' Bill Self end up hearing the kudos that they deserve from their colleagues. There seems to be a certain satisfaction that these coaches get from hearing that they did well during the season.
Coaches can gloat, and feel good about themselves here and there's nothing wrong with that. Coaches who got fired and are desperately looking for jobs might not find one, but at least they'll feel wanted for a few days. Coaches who need games for next season can find out just how good their opponents might be. Sure, there are embellishments, but that's part of the sales job for either landing or getting a game.
This is their Final Four for a few days before the players take over for whom the Final Four is really about -- the games. The fans get a taste throughout the weekend. It's a unique event, something that college football doesn't get with so many bowl games spread out all over the month of December. There is a negative element, but in the end, it is what it is, college basketball's main stage for every coach who wants to feel a part of the Final Four.
For the players, they might not get the overall feel of the Final Four but that doesn't really matter. They'll get enough of a rush inside the Metrodome on Saturday night when the flash bulbs flicker at the opening tip. Friday's open practices usually make them feel like they're really here, fueling the butterflies or recharging their energy for the game after a rather subdued 24 hours.
There are two Final Fours here. One matters more. That's obvious. But the other one has its purpose and never seems to fade from importance, especially with a coaching carousel on warp speed yet again.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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