Allie LaForce: Favorite Part Of The Tournament Is The Mass Chaos That Ensues
(CBS Local/CBS Minnesota) Each year when the tournament rolls around, fans and media alike gather around their televisions to take in the insanity that is the four weeks of NCAA Tournament action. For every person, what they love about the tournament is different. It could be the upsets. Or, it could be the new superstars we're introduced to each year. And, for some, it's a combination of that and the general craziness that gets all wrapped up and packaged together for a few wild weeks each March.
You can count Turner Sports sideline reporter Allie LaForce among that latter group. Laforce is back working the tournament once again, this time from the Turner side of things and she'll be with Brian Anderson and Chris Webber when the first round kicks off next Thursday.
"My favorite part of the whole experience is probably just the mass chaos that comes along with it," said LaForce at CBS Sports and Turner Sports NCAA Tournament Media Day. "The First Four, having to learn about all of these different teams that we have heard about maybe once this season get their shot on the big stage. Seeing how the athletes and the coaches handle the big stage."
"Then on the other side, you have the teams that have been there a million times like Villanova, Duke and Gonzaga," continued LaForce. "Seeing those teams' absolute professionalism and expertise in the sport at its finest. And then, seeing the families get involved, and the schools and the band it is really an all around effort from our country to produce what I consider to be the best product that is on TV."
LaForce, since taking the job with Turner, has been working on the NBA and she says that she has enjoyed seeing the players that she covered in the tournament make the next step in their careers.
"It's really neat. I didn't realize how much I would associate the guys with the colleges that they played for because of March Madness," said LaForce. "Guys like (Donte) DiVincenzo or Jalen Brunson from Villanova are now in the league and seeing how they are adjusting. It has been a really neat and rewarding experience to watch them take their game to the next level. And, just to know that it's not over when you watch that final moment on CBS or on TNT."
"What I love about the tournament is that every team has their own story, their own vision, their own path," continued LaForce. "I love seeing how experience blends with youth and which teams can find the chemistry quickly to make that a championship-winning formula."