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NCAA March Madness lasts forever in Kansas City
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Icourtesy Kansas City CVB
The Big Dance came to Kansas City last week as the Big 12 Conference hosted the first and second-round regional play of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center. But Kansas City (and nearby Lawrence, Kansas) is still heaven for those basketball fans who just can’t get enough hoops.
The College Basketball Experience
It's always March Madness at the College Basketball Experience, located in the new Sprint Center directly across from Kansas City’s Power & Light District. At the CBE, you can easily “get off the bench and get in the game!”
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame occupies approximately one-third of the CBE (with historical exhibits giving recognition to great coaches, players, and teams), but it’s the other two-thirds of the place that captivate most basketball fans, as they work up a sweat touring (and participating in) the high-energy, highly interactive venue. Casual and hardcore fans of any age can totally immerse themselves in the game of basketball. Dedicated hoopsters can take part in three-point shooting, dunking, dribbling, and passing drills.
Hands-on exhibits throughout the facility place visitors in electrifying game simulations, from sinking the game-winning shot to announcing the play-by-play action from the ESPNU broadcast desk. (The ESPN Sports Center is part of the College Basketball Experience.) With exhibits titled “Beat the Clock,” “Call the Highlights,” “Clean the Glass,” “Get in the Zone,” “Make the Pass,” “Shoot from Downtown,” and “Step Up to the Line,” the whole place is like a slam dunk for diehard basketball addicts.
The Booth Family Hall of Athletics
The defending NCAA champion Jayhawks have a huge fan base all over the world, and this 26,000-square-foot museum adjacent to the east side of Allen Fieldhouse, just down the road from Kansas City in Lawrence, Kansas, is their mecca. The Hall pays homage to University of Kansas’ storied traditions, and beloved KU athletes and coaches. There are six different exhibit areas:
• Game and the Gear highlights the 18 current athletic teams at KU,
• The Story of Sport takes you on a walk through the history of KU athletics. It includes two Olympian cases and a case dedicated to Wilt Chamberlain.
• KANSAS Experience Wall highlights Kansas athletic traditions, including crimson and blue, fan traditions, rivalries, etc.
• Hall of Champions contains many of the conference and national championship trophies.
• Basketball Legacy honors the history of basketball at Kansas. It features photos and stories about James Naismith, Phog Allen, Marian Washington, and Lynette Woodard. The original center court of Allen Fieldhouse highlights this area.
• The Jayhawk Walk—these two hallways lead into Allen Fieldhouse, and display the retired basketball jerseys, and the original “Beware of the Phog” banner.
Kansas City long ago earned a reputation for being a great town for college basketball, and KU’s Basketball Program Founder was James Naismith, who is known worldwide as the inventor of basketball. If you can’t get enough of March Madness (and want it to go on forever), you can now get your wish in Kansas City and Lawrence, Kansas any time of the year.
Late-Breaking News: At the conclusion of the 2008-2009 men's and women's beasketball seasons, the Booth Family Hall of Athletics will close due to renovations in Allen Fieldhouse until early October.
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