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DETROIT -- The NCAA and the Detroit Local Organizing Committee (DLOC) invite everyone to join in the celebration of the 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four® weekend with the announcement of the activities and events schedule for NCAA Hoop City® refreshed by Coca-Cola®, April 3-6 at Cobo Center.

Hoop City, the ultimate NCAA basketball experience, allows fans of all ages the chance to run, jump, shoot and play until the final buzzer. Activities inside Cobo Center include basketball activities, clinics, performances, photo ops, prizes, chances to experience other NCAA sports, autograph sessions and more.

Hoop City is open to the public from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 3, Sunday, April 5, and Monday, April 6 and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 4. Beginning March 8, courtesy of NCAA Champion, Coca-Cola, advanced tickets can be purchased for $2 off at select Meijer stores throughout southeast Michigan, or they can be purchased at regular price on the day of the event at the Cobo Center box office.

Tickets cost $8 (ages 12 and over) or $6 (ages 3-11; senior citizens (55 and older), and for college students and military with appropriate ID). Admission is free for ages 2 and under.

“Hoop City will be packed with fun and activities for all ages, providing NCAA basketball fans with an inside look at the Final Four and the passion of NCAA March Madness®,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA senior vice president of basketball and business strategies. “Metro Detroiters and visitors can share in celebrating this historic basketball weekend even if they don’t have a ticket to the games.”

NCAA Hoop City tips off with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 3, followed by a celebrity/media all-star basketball game at noon on Center Court. The game will include some of Detroit’s best-known broadcast professionals, as TV broadcasters take on radio DJs. At 5 p.m., the NCAA Final Four team’s bands, cheerleaders and mascots take center court for an annual crowd favorite – the Battle of the Final Four Bands competition.

Entertainment areas include the NCAA Campus, which takes you inside the life of an NCAA student-athlete, provides unique Final Four photo opportunities, gives fans a chance to learn about all 23 NCAA championship sports and to receive hands-on instruction on selected sports from current NCAA student-athletes.

Hoop City also will play host to the POWERADE® 3 v 3 tournament, which is an amateur, family-oriented basketball festival open to males and females ages seven to adult. Participants receive a free daily admission to NCAA Hoop City. The entry fee is $125 per team and all entries must be received by March 27. For more information, and to register please visit www.NCAA.com/finalfour.

Fans who make their way downtown for Hoop City also can enjoy a number of other events, many of them free - Final Four Friday at Ford Field, which includes open practices for the Final Four teams and the Hershey®'s College All-Star Game (all free), The Big Dance® music festival at the Detroit Riverfront Friday through Sunday (all free), the Road to The Final Four 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, and the Final Four Dribble on Sunday (free). Details on these events can be found at NCAA.com/finalfour.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletics opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA Championships in Division I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Coca-Cola and Pontiac—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Enterprise, The Hartford, Hershey’s, Lowe's, Sheraton and State Farm.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with nearly 500 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, POWERADE, Minute Maid and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of nearly 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our Web site at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

About the DLOC

The 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four® will take place at Ford Field in Detroit April 4 & 6. The Final Four brings together the semifinalists of the single elimination tournament of the top 65 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams in the country. The event is expected to create an economic impact of $30 million to $50 million and attract more than 30,000 visitors to Detroit. For information, visit www.NCAA.com/finalfour or call the Detroit Local Organizing Committee at 313-262-2900.

NCAA, Final Four, Hoop City, Road to the Final Four, The Big Dance and March Madness are licensed by or trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Source: NCAA Final Four

 

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