Perspectives: What Makes the Final Four Successful

It takes a small village to run the Final Four.

I’m often asked how Indianapolis manages to put on events like the Final Four, and not only stage them, but stage them to the point that the country takes notice in the event’s success. And after thinking about it, at the core of everything that goes on when Indianapolis hosts the Final Four are these:

Trust and love.

If you trust those you work with, the processes are usually seamless. I was lucky enough to work with Ed Holdaway and John Dedman as the local media coordinators, and those two are among the best in their field. Knowing them, trust was never a factor that any issue that arose would be solved.

The same went for our volunteer crew, led capably by Craig Hammel, John Berry and Andrea Crawford. As part of an 80-person media volunteer crew, there was never a doubt that our staff had the experience and cared enough to make sure any and every media need was met.

Some of that trust starts just a few blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Horizon League is headquartered. The League would not be an institutional co-host for NCAA events without the trust built over hosting seven previous Final Fours (five men’s, two women’s). And certainly, without the trust of Commissioner Jon LeCrone and Julie Roe Lach our staff would not be released to help with hosting duties and allowed to devote time and effort to the cause.

There was external trust, placed on us by David Worlock and his crew at the NCAA. Working with people like Dave, J.D. Hamilton and Jenn Rodgers makes life easy, and I’m extremely grateful to them for placing their trust in us to supplement their efforts throughout the Final Four.

Then there is the trust the Indiana Sports Corp works so hard to build and relies upon throughout the planning process and event. I’ve been lucky enough to sit in meetings with the ISC for the last four years, and trust and love permeate every meeting.

ISC trusts that each box, no matter how small, will be checked off at the end of the day. And stemming from trust is love. The people at the ISC genuinely care for and love Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. It’s that love which infuses every piece of an event, especially one like the Final Four. From the volunteers greeting teams at the airport to workers on Georgia Street to the team liaisons, they love Indianapolis and want to ensure that the city’s best foot forward is on display. And most importantly, that feeling is genuine.

Hopefully, you felt some of that over the last week in Indianapolis.

It was truly an honor to be a small part of it, and my heartfelt thanks to David Worlock, J.D. Hamilton, Jenn Rodgers, Ed Holdaway, John Dedman, Craig Hammel, Andrea Crawford, John Berry, the entire staff at the Indiana Sports Corp and a tireless crew of over 80 media operations volunteers. This group – and so many others like it – truly is the reason Indianapolis is a successful host.

For those of you returning in 2016 (Women’s Final Four), 2017 (men’s 1st and 2nd rounds) or 2021 (Men’s Final Four), we look forward to seeing you then!