Final Four gets city hoopin'

Hoop City and a host of other events got ballers of all ages into the act. Anna Fox and her sister Kate sat in the First Union Center last night cheering for their favorite Connecticut players, Sue Bird and Shea Ralph, who helped the Huskies beat Tennessee for the national title. While the girls were well-removed from the action on the court last night, earlier in the day the two got to pick up a ball and emulate their Huskies heroes by dribbling, shooting and scoring their way through Hoop City at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The centerpiece of the city's Women's Final Four activities, Hoop City was a chance for basketball players of all ages to test their basketball skills. From pressure free throws to buzzer beaters to half-court heaves, there were activities to test every imaginable basketball skill. Even the youngest fans had a chance to work on their games in a playground filled with mini-balls and two-foot hoops. "It's nice because it is so big and there are so many activities there's really no wait," Penn's All-American forward Diana Caramanico said. "The kids are really cute, and it's fun to see them go through the different [games]." Caramanico and the rest of the Quakers spent Friday and yesterday volunteering at Hoop City. Their responsibilities on Friday included running the mock TV studio where participants got to try their hands at being ESPN SportsCenter hosts. Kids and adults alike lined up to read cue-cards and breakdown game footage, and each got to take home a videotape copy of their two minutes under the lights. "[Fellow Penn basketball player] Claire [Cavanaugh] and I did it a couple times; it was really neat," Caramanico said. The event also featured entertainment from Sandy "Spin" Slade -- who spun eight basketballs on her body at once -- and autograph sessions with college All-Americans and local celebrities. "It shows you the growth of basketball for women that you can put an event on in the city of Philadelphia, and that event is at the level of what happened here," Philadelphia basketball maven Sonny Hill said as he sat signing autographs. "Not only did we have the largest crowds ever for college basketball at the First Union Center, but just the whole weekend has been phenomenal. "So it has been a fabulous weekend, and it speaks volumes about women's basketball and the acceptance of [the sport by] the public at large." In addition to Hoop City, the city hosted a number of other events to celebrate the Women's Final Four Saturday morning, the NCAA sponsored five YES Clinics in the Philadelphia area. The clinics taught basketball skills to kids aged 10-18 and were run by local coaches and players, including players from Penn. Saturday night, the Men's Final Four action was broadcast on giant screens in the Convention Center. A packed house watched Michigan State and Florida advance to tonight's national championship game in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, across the Ben Franklin Parkway, the organizing committee thanked media members and corporate sponsors by throwing a party at the Franklin Institute. Guests munched popcorn and hot dogs, while the semifinals of the Men's Final Four were shown in the Tuttleman Omniverse Theatre. Even out in the streets of Center City, it was clear the Final Four had taken over. In every direction there were fans wearing either the blue of UConn or the bright orange of the Lady Vols. The nearly 40,000 visitors were expected to generate $25 million in economic activity for the weekend -- making Philadelphia a winner even before the Huskies won last night's championship game.

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