Indianapolis Readies for Big Ten… Big Times – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2002
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Sports Corporation, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Inc. and the local organizing committee (LOC) for the 2002 Big Ten Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments today unveiled plans for a “Big Ten…Big Times” celebration that will include street signs, banners, music, memorabilia and pep rallies.
The women’s tournament, being hosted in Indianapolis for the seventh time in eight years, takes place one week from today Feb. 28-March 4. The men’s tournament, which makes its Indianapolis debut after four years in Chicago’s United Center, is March 7-10.
Both tournaments, taking place in the same city for the first time, will be in Conseco Fieldhouse.
Fans for both tournaments will encounter a festive atmosphere that will include banners flying from street poles and the city’s tallest building, the 48-story Bank One Tower. The IPALCO Building on Monument Circle will display “Big Ten” in lights.
There will be pep rallies and pre-game previews in a “Rally Alley” tent near the Fieldhouse prior to sessions of both tournaments. Big Ten fans will be invited to participate in “Fight Song Karaoke Nights” at a downtown hotel. Local restaurants and nightspots are “adopting” Big Ten fans from different Big Ten universities.
For designated area youngsters, there will be for 11 youth clinics in association with the women’s tournament.
Trophy cases in Conseco Fieldhouse will display Big Ten basketball memorabilia and the Fieldhouse will be decorated in Big Ten banners and pennants. Eleven downtown streets will be renamed in honor of the Big Ten institutions.
The tournaments are being presented by the Big Ten Conference, Indiana Sports Corporation (ISC) and Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
“We look forward to providing the kind of tournament basketball atmosphere that only Indiana and Indianapolis can provide,” said Amy Minick Peterson, co-chair of the LOC. “It’s a given that we will have great, competitive basketball. Our committees and volunteers have been committed to providing a great, hospitable and welcoming environment for everyone connected with the tournaments.” “We are excited to showcase Big Ten basketball in the state of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis, the capital of amateur sports,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “Indiana has a true affection for the game of basketball and we think the Big Ten tournaments in Indianapolis will be truly special for our student-athletes, coaches and fans.”
“We are eager to share the finest basketball arena in the world with fans from around the Big Ten,” said Rick Fuson, executive senior vice-president of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. “The Fieldhouse was built with basketball in mind and we believe players and fans will be enlivened by playing and watching in a venue that combines a traditional feel with modern amenities.”
At the news conference, Peterson helped rename Georgia Street “Boilermaker Lane,” and Pennsylvania Street “Hoosier Place,” as part of the LOC’s plan to rename many of the downtown streets after Big Ten institutions.
Note to Editors:
Following is a list of special gameday ticket offers for the women’s tournament, in the addition to the events and activities the local organizing committee is staging in conjunction with the 2002 Big Ten Tournaments.
Ticket Specials
Beginning on Thursday, Feb. 28, the following ticket specials will be offered for the women’s tournament. Please note that these ticket specials will be available only on gameday and at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office.
Thursday, Feb. 28 – The 3-2-1-GO! Package
Three games for two people for the price of one ticket.
Friday, March 1 – Public Safety Day
Any public safety official in uniform or who can produce proper identification gets two tickets for the price of one.
Sunday, March 3 – Dream Big Day.
Any boy and girl in kindergarten through 8th grade is admitted free with one paying adult.
Monday, March 4 – Fill The Fieldhouse/Family Night
Watch the Big Ten’s best battle for the championship. Buy one, get one free.
Youth Clinics
LOC Youth Clinic – Tech High School – Saturday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m. – not open to the public
Nike Youth Clinic – Conseco Fieldhouse – Sunday, March 3, noon – not open to the public
Designated area youth will have the opportunity to take part in two Youth Clinics in conjunction with the Big Ten women’s tournament. The first will be at Tech High School. Indiana Fever player Alicia Thompson will conduct the clinic that will emphasize both basketball and life skills. The Nike Youth Clinic will take place at Emmis Practice Court in Conseco Fieldhouse. Former Purdue All-American and Indianapolis native Katie Douglas will speak at the Clinic and sign autographs.
Big Karaoke
Champions Sports Bar – Thursday, Feb. 28, 9:30 -11:30 p.m., and Thursday, March 7, 9-11 p.m.
Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant located in the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown will host “Big Ten Fight Song Karaoke Night.” Competition will begin immediately following game three of the first round for both tournaments. It’s a contest to see who can sing their fight song the loudest and proudest. Prizes will include overnight stays at the Indianapolis Marriott, dinner for two, gift certificates, an autographed Dick Vitale basketball, and sportswear.
Big Gatherings
11 downtown restaurants and nightspots – Thursday, Feb. 28, Friday, March 1, Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8
Select Indianapolis nightspots and nightspots will adopt Big Ten schools on Thursday and Friday evenings of both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Fans are encouraged to stop by their partner establishments for pre- and post-game entertainment. Illinois will be paired with Ram Restaurant. Indiana University will be paired with Rock Bottom Brewery. Iowa fans should visit Champions Sports Bar. Michigan visitors should head to the Slippery Noodle. Michigan State will be paired with Claddagh Irish Pub. Minnesota will be paired with Alcatraz Brewing Company. Northwestern fans should visit Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Ohio State fans should visit The Cozy. Penn State University will be paired with St. Elmo Steak House. Purdue University will be paired with Jillian’s. Fans from Wisconsin should head to The Pub.
Big Celebration
Championship Game Pep Rallies – Ober Parking Lot (Conseco Fieldhouse) – Monday, March 4, 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 10, 1 p.m.
Prior to the championship games of the women’s and men’s tournaments bands, cheerleaders, alumni and fans are invited to participate in a free pep rally at “Rally Alley” in a tent located on the Ober parking lot, just north of the Pennsylvania Street entrance to Conseco Fieldhouse.
Pre-game previews – Ober Parking Lot (Conseco Fieldhouse) – Sunday, March 3, 2 p.m., Thursday, March 7, noon, Friday, March 8, 9:30 a.m. and 4:40 p.m., Saturday, March 9, 11:45 a.m.
In addition, special pre-game previews involving local radio, television and basketball personalities will take place in the tent prior to the start of the women’s semifinals and the men’s first round, quarterfinals and semifinals.
Big Look
Big Ten tournament fans will know the tournaments are in town. More than 100 downtown streetlight poles are being decorated with the Big Ten logo and “Big Ten … Big Times” slogan. The IPALCO building on Monument Circle will display a lighted “Big Ten” in its windows. And the top of the Bank One tower will fly a “Big Ten…Big Times” banner. In the immediate vicinity of the Fieldhouse, fans will see a variety of Big Ten banners. Circle Centre Mall also will fly Big Ten tournament banners, school banners and tournament brackets.
Big News
During the men’s tournament, audio from the post-game press conferences will be piped to the Entry Pavilion and outside the Fieldhouse.
Big Memorabilia
Be sure to check out the trophy cases just past the Grand Staircase of the Conseco Fieldhouse Entry Pavilion. Each Big Ten institution will have a display case filled with Big Ten women’s and men’s basketball memorabilia.
Big Streets
Eleven downtown streets will be renamed in honor of each Big Ten institution. Badger Place, Illini Lane, Wolverine Boulevard, Hoosier Place, Wildcat Avenue, Buckeye Street, Spartan Drive, Hawkeye Way, Nittany Lion Drive, Gopher Street, and Boilermaker Lane will all become part of downtown. Not to worry – the original street identification signs will remain in place so fans will still be able to find their way around.
Street – Cross Streets – Name
Capitol Ave. – Ohio St. and Georgia St. – Badger Place
Illinois St. – Ohio St. and Georgia St. – Illini Lane
Meridian St. – Ohio St. and Georgia St. – Wolverine Blvd.
Pennsylvania St. – Ohio St. and Georgia St. – Hoosier Place
Delaware St. – Ohio St. and Maryland St. – Wildcat Ave.
Ohio St. – Capitol Ave. and Delaware St. – Buckeye St.
Market St. – Capitol Ave. and Delaware St. – Spartan Dr.
Washington St. – Capitol Ave. and Delaware St. – Nittany Lion Dr.
Maryland St. – Capitol Ave. and Delaware St. – Hawkeye Way
Georgia St. – Capitol Ave. and Pennsylvania St. – Boilermaker Lane
South St. – Capitol Ave. and Delaware St. – Gopher St.
Big Sounds
CDs of Big Ten fight songs have been distributed to downtown area restaurants and pubs.
Middle School Curriculum Program
Beyond the games, one of the most popular, successful and certainly fulfilling aspects of the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament has been the Big Ten Basketball Middle School Curriculum Program.
Instituted for the 1995 Big Ten women’s tournament in Indianapolis and continued every year since, the program pairs local middle schools with Big Ten teams in a manner that is fun, inspiring, informative and, most of all, educational.
This year, not coincidentally with both the women’s and men’s Big Ten tournaments being hosted in Indianapolis, men’s teams have been added to the program for the first time.
Middle schools are assigned a team (and therefore, a university) to follow throughout the Big Ten season. Each middle school is provided information about their teams through media guides, other literature, and accessing the institutions’ Web sites. Another facet is the Team Pen Pal Program, in which the middle school students correspond with Big Ten women’s players via emails or letters.
When Big Ten teams arrive in Indianapolis, they also are given a mail bag filled with letters offering welcome and good luck.
In the meantime, the middle school students incorporate their team into the curriculum. For example, in math class, students examine box scores and figure scoring averages, shooting percentages, assist-to-turnover ratios and won-loss percentages. In art class, students are encouraged to make banners that will be displayed in the teams’ Conseco Fieldhouse locker rooms or on Fieldhouse walls. In music class, students learn the university fight song. In physical education, they study the training, dietary and sleeping regimen of athletes, as well as the psychological aspects of sports.
At the end of the season, students enrolled in the women’s middle school program receive free tickets to attend the first-round Big Ten tournament games of the teams they have been following. Their enthusiasm for their teams creates a definite sense of excitement.
This year, 19 middle schools representing Indianapolis Public Schools, township schools, suburban schools and parochial schools have been paired with the 22 Big Ten women’s and men’s teams. More than 2,400 students are enrolled in the program.
Middle schools and the teams they are following are: Belzer and Garden City (Illinois), Center Grove and St. Thomas Aquinas (Indiana), Craig and Traders Point Christian Academy (Iowa), Crispus Attucks and St. Andrew (Michigan), Horizon and Our Shepherd (Michigan State), St. Phillip Neri (Minnesota), St. Simon and Trinity Lutheran (Northwestern), Pendleton Heights and Raymond Park (Ohio State), Chapel Glen and Howe (Penn State), Forest Manor (Purdue) and Center Grove (Wisconsin).
