An editor earns opportunity to cover the Final Four
I had the opportunity to cover media day at the Final Four April 1-2.
It was surreal; I’d never been to Lucas Oil Stadium. Subsequently, I did what many first-time visitors did: gawk at its size.
However, it was a business trip. So I got to work.
April 1, select players and the head coach from each school took questions at the breakout rooms on the event level of The Luke.
We as media members faced a challenge because so many media outlets covered the Final Four. To best do our jobs, we needed to ask creative and original questions.
Playing in a Final Four is a privilege. However, with that privilege, came mandatory appearances, including answering questions from people of my profession.
With so many media personnel asking questions, it’s inevitable that players and coaches alike would hear at least a similar version of the same question at least once.
Sitting in those breakout rooms with Coach Stevens, Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward, plus attending the Friday news conference with coach Stevens, Ronald Nored and Howard, I heard some inane questions. Then again, those are my colleagues and they have their ideas and deadlines.
I wondered to myself how many of the same questions the players and coaches had heard over and over and over. I still wonder that. Again, it’s on us to ask more open-ended and creative questions to elicit answers that aren’t generic and monotonous.
I got to meet and speak with ESPN’s Andy Katz. I talked basketball with Butler’s Matt Howard.
It was the ultimate learning experience for a budding sports writer.
