Coliseum countdown to tournament tipoff

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - With just hours to go before thousands of people will file into the Memorial Coliseum for the Girls Basketball State Finals, the Coliseum was doing some final preparations Friday.

There are two sessions, each with two basketball games, on Saturday. Around 11,500 people can fit into each session and the Coliseum is hoping around 22,000 people show up.

"That exceeds Indianapolis last year and it would set a record [for high school basketball at the Coliseum] and give us bragging rights," Randy Brown, the Coliseum's general manager, said.

After schools had the chance to sell tickets, the extras were returned to the Coliseum Friday. At least 4,000 are still up for grabs. People can buy them from Ticketmaster or at the Coliseum box office.

After the Mad Ants game Friday night, Coliseum staff will switch the basketball courts to a shorter one for high school, put out more chairs and start getting geared up for making lots of popcorn and hot dogs. Because there are two sessions, staff will stay pretty busy Saturday.

"We'll have an hour or so to clean the whole arena, restrooms, concourse and so forth and then we'll open the doors and do it all over again," Brown said.

The Coliseum has several other events booked there this weekend in addition to the tournament, so managers are asking the public to try to arrive early and carpool if possible.

Three of the eight teams are from Fort Wayne, but the state finals are bringing in a lot of visitors.

"That's why this building is here: to provide for people coming into the city," Rob Evans, the general manager of the Holiday Inn right across the street from the Coliseum, said.

The hotel was finished being built a little more than a year ago. It's sold out for several big events at the Coliseum like concerts and the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale, and the basketball games added two more sell-out nights to that list.

"Friday and Saturday we are full to the top floor," Evans said.

Evans added that hosting sports teams is a little different than regular hotel guests and the hotel goes into its "sports procedures."

"We tweak hours a bit and create areas of the hotel where people can hang out, have fun, play cards and have meetings," Evans said. "We want to make sure all the sports teams have a great breakfast and the sports teams often like to eat together. So, we prepare another section of the hotel with larger tables so the teams can sit together."

Brown hopes Fort Wayne makes an impression on the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA).

"We want to make sure these young ladies have a great time. If you see them in the hotel or in the busses, toot your horn or wave at them. Make them feel welcome because that will help us get this back again in the future," he said.