All-access: 2011 Women’s Final Four – the Championship

INDIANAPOLIS — Tuesday marked the first time in at least five years the always-so-dominant UConn or Tennessee women’s basketball programs wouldn’t have a chance to win the big game. This year, a local twist featuring the Notre Dame Irish and the Texas A&M Aggies.

There’s no question, the Irish faithful showed up and were loud all game long. About 15,000 fans were on hand to watch the 2011 Women’s National Championship at Conseco Fieldhouse.

This matchup went down to the final minute when Texas A&M finally pulled ahead. Many discount the women’s game yet they combined to score more points by halftime and went over the century mark with 13:57 to go in the game-something the men’s championship failed to do.

A thrilling finish was ideal for the image of women’s basketball and of course television ratings on ESPN. The luck of the Irish ran short as Texas A&M captured their first women’s basketball championship 76-70.

Danielle Adams led the Aggies with 29 points and 9 rebounds–nearly a double-double.

After Butler’s disappointing loss in the finals last night, Notre Dame couldn’t capture the win. The Bulldogs and Irish represented the state of Indiana well in the tournament although neither could finish it off.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—there isn’t a better sports venue in the country. From media members, from teams and from me. Indianapolis is very fortunate to have a top of the line venue.

On Sunday, I gave you part one behind-the-scenes of the tournament. Here’s a couple more tidbits you won’t find anywhere else.

Improved wireless network
The Fieldhouse finally stepped it wireless network inside the arena. Before, there were various networks—none of which were strong or reliable.

Just 21 days ago, prior to the men’s and women’s Big Ten Tournament, Conseco Fieldhouse made major upgrades adding fiber lines. Agreeing to a deal with smartsignal, the wireless network is unbelievably fast. I was told by a representative that this summer during Fever season,Wi-Fi will be available for free to fans. Now the network is the fastest connection I’ve ever been on, and reliable even with a couple hundred sharing the network.

Cell phone coverage
Due to the high-volume of visitors in town for the tournament, portable cell phone towers were setup all weekend long for improved reception.

If you’ve ever been to a crowded sporting event or convention for that matter, you understand the difficulty making a call or sending a text message. It’s not easy. The added tower won’t completely solve the problem but it provides added bandwidth and hopefully sustainability.

Twitter phenomenon

Sophomore sensation Skylar Diggins was absolutely the top attraction. She even got the attention of basketball fans throughout the country—partly because her looks but mostly due to her on-court performance.

Get this, before the NCAA tournament, she had roughly 6,000 followers. After the title game and trending world-wide multiple times this weekend, Diggins boasts over 63,000 followers. She has also received multiple shout-outs from big names like Chris Brown and Lil Wayne.

Meeting who I follow
During big events, it is interesting to meet the personalities behind the twitter accounts I follow. This tournament, the notable names were Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch and Christine Brennan from the USA Today. I also had many good chats throughout the weekend with the IndyStar’s Jeff Rabjohns and my man Cliff Brunt of the Associated Press.

Who’s who
Tuesday night at the championship, Mayor Greg Ballard and Governor Mitch Daniels were on hand once again, as well as Indianapolis Colts tight-end Dallas Clark. I also enjoyed catching up with past and present Indiana Fever staff including former assistant Julie Plank, trainer Holly Heitzman, and new assistant coach Stephanie White. Again, I also had a nice chat with the officials of which I know from WNBA season.

The luck of the Irish
Maybe its just me but Notre Dame’s “live mascot” straight scares me. A stalky guy, he can’t be taller than 5-5 and  he is just a weird character. I don’t recognize this one from football season so he must be the backup. A corky tradition…he’s just goofy.

Working another big time event was an incredible experience. I am very grateful for the opportunities I have had so young in life. I can tell, this is what I want to do for a living because with my passion for sports, I’ll never “work” a day in my life.