'U' Officials Visit San Antonio To Mine Final Four Ideas
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (WCCO) -- Down in San Antonio, there is a lot to do to get ready for the Final Four. The Alamodome of course hosting it. Loyola playing Michigan followed by Villanova and Kansas a bit later Saturday.
That's just part of this spectacle. People come in in throngs, and they expect to be entertained. Much of it for a Final Four, maybe different than a Super Bowl, is the interactions they provide. A lot of opportunities to get involved.
Everybody throughout the country wears whatever school it is they represent -- not just the Final Four teams.
Then there is the media component to this.
Paul Rovnak works at the University of Minnesota. He's down here because he works with the media at the U of M. So his job will change next year when the U of M is the host school. And that is a daunting task.
"Well our responsibility is to work with the NCAA and put on the best event we can," Rovnak said. "So that's why a bunch of us came down here to San Antonio this week, we're here for about a week to learn as much as we can, take as many good ideas back to Minneapolis and put on the most successful Final Four they've ever had."
Rovnak and the U of M staff will get some more practice next week when the university hosts the Frozen Four at the Xcel Energy Center.
By the way, Michigan's staff is going to be busy as well. The Final Four against Loyola Saturday and next week, the Frozen Four in St. Paul. They call that a very good Big Ten dilemma.