NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Organizers of the 2012 Final Four gathered in New Orleans on Tuesday to discuss the activities planned for the weekend of the men’s college basketball championship, and to remind fans and families throughout the region that they don’t need tickets to the big game for many of the related events.
Jeff Hathaway, who chairs the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, stressed that several events are free.
Those include admission to the Superdome for all four teams’ practices and a college all-star game on March 30.
There is also a Big Dance concert series at Woldenberg Park on the city’s river front on March 30 and April 1.
“You don’t need a ticket,” Hathaway said. “We want all off you in this area and across the nation to come out and be part of this.”
Hathaway said the names of the musical acts in the Big Dance series will be released at a later date.
Division I Men’s Basketball Championship director Jacqie Carpenter said there will be community service initiatives including educational programs and free basketball clinics for up to 800 youth, with instruction provided by coaches from around the nation who will be in town for the National Association of Basketball Coaches convention. The clinics will be held at Tulane University and the Alario Center in suburban Westwego.
Another event will feature 3,000 children dribbling 3,000 basketballs as they walk with families and friends from the Superdome to the city’s convention center, where the children will be given free admission to Bracket Town, a fan festival which will feature interactive games, autograph sessions and courts set up for three-on-three tournaments. General admission for Bracket Town will run from $6-$10.
The national semifinal games are on March 31 and the championship game is April 2, both in the 70,000-seat Superdome. Those games are sold out.
Most related events will be held in the week leading up to the championship game.
Carpenter said the NCAA is working with area middle schools to involve as many as 10,000 students in activities that will promote the importance of reading, math, sciences, healthy eating and fitness.
In addition, the NCAA and NABC will be making charitable donations of 2,012 pairs of shoes and 2,012 boxes of food to families in the area who need them.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
 
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