Fans gather at NCAA Women’s Final Four Tourney Town in Phoenix

PHOENIX – Walking down East Monroe Street in downtown Phoenix on Thursday, the energy of the Women’s Final Four was impossible to ignore. Buildings were wrapped in the event’s graphics, barricades carried the tournament’s branding and fans wearing team gear filled the streets. 

As fans made their way through security at the Phoenix Convention Center, they were greeted by a tall statue of the NCAA championship trophy. Surrounding the statue were various branding tables offering free team color hair spray, a Coca-Cola activation and more. While still outside, fans could hear the sound of a basketball hitting a full-size hardwood court in the center of everything. 

Tourney Town is more than just a pregame event for fans. It’s a celebration of women’s basketball. 

“Just being immersed in the atmosphere is really cool,” South Carolina fan Daniel Korotkin said. “You walk in and everything is decked out, and everybody here is just a fan.”

Korotkin, who lives in Colorado, attended South Carolina for undergraduate and graduate school. He said the explosion of the women’s game is something he witnessed firsthand while attending games as a student. Seeing that support on a national stage feels different.

“It is amazing,” he said. “You get to see how much the game has grown and how many people are here to support it.”

As the space at the convention center opens up, a mixture of colorful and white lights are visible everywhere, mimicking the high energy fans feels from a room filled with people, interactive games, skills challenges and courts for players of all ages. Also offered were booths to take pictures, pick up free merchandise, try new drinks, play games and browse the history of women’s basketball. 

Andrew Garcia, the associate director of student-athlete success for the UCLA women’s basketball team, said the environment inside Tourney Town reflected the larger impact of the Women’s Final Four. 

“It’s a great celebration of the game of women’s basketball,” Garcia said. “You walk around the convention center, see all the events, the people you meet, the stories you hear. Basketball is like a great unifier in that way.”

While the Bruins practiced for their meeting against Texas, Garcia spent time at several basketball challenge stations, including the Gallery of Hoops. The challenge was to aim and shoot for the highest of the baskets, while trying to get the ball to drop through three other hoops beneath it. Garcia laughed at his lack of success, noting how grateful he was for the team and this experience.

“To get to this point of the season where there are four teams left, it’s just really big for our basketball community,” he said. “It’s special for the group of young women that we have on our team to be able to celebrate this weekend.”

That support stretches across the country. Jerry Liscombe, who lives in Virginia but is originally from Connecticut, made the trip to Phoenix with friends and family, combining basketball with a personal milestone.

“This is our fourth Final Four,” Liscombe said. “We are celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary with friends, so it gave us a great reason to come out here and be part of it again. 

“After multiple Final Four trips, the feeling has not faded. Every one of them is different, but the energy is always the same. It’s something you look forward to every time.

Renee Montgomery , a former UConn guard and a two-time WNBA champion with the Minnesota Lynx, said it felt good to see her alma mater back on a national stage. She praised the consistency she is seeing from the Huskies, and the overall evolution of the game.

“The coaching staff that coached me is still the coaching staff today, and they’re still successful,” Montgomery said. “The players have changed, the personalities have changed, the game has changed and they still have the same system.

“Players are dunking on a regular basis now. They’re getting the recognition, the TV time, the sponsorship, they’re getting everything.”

The evolution of the game that Montgomery noted also underscores its history. That history struck Washington D.C. native Victor Powell, who traveled more than four hours to experience his first Final Four with his wife, Allynn Powell.

“I think the section that highlights women’s basketball history is huge,” he said. “It gives homage not only to the players today, but also to those who paved the way at every level, not just professionally. It also shows the diversity in the game and how it all started, with memorabilia and stories that a lot of people don’t know.”

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