It’s late March, which means college basketball is in the spotlight. The men's and women's NCAA March Madness tournaments take place in different cities across the country each year. The last time Philly hosted a District I women's Final Four, in 2000, was quite memorable.
Days before, brokers were selling tickets to the games at First Union Center in South Philly (now known as the Wells Fargo Center) for around $350 and up, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported at the time.
Chances to see Penn State, Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Tennessee play for the top title were just about as in-demand as “an NBA or NHL playoff game … or an 'N Sync concert,” the First Union Center’s general manager John Page told the newspaper.
Why? A few factors were at play, per the Inquirer, but the popularity could also be chalked up to a pretty significant collection of Philly connections in the Final Four. Aside from the geographic proximity of New Brunswick and State College, there were some personal ties to the region too:
- Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer started her career as a coach at Cheyney State (now Cheyney University) in Delaware and Chester counties.
- Penn State coach Rene Portland grew up in Delco, played at Immaculata College (now University) in Chester County, and coached at St. Joseph’s University.
- UConn coach Geno Auriemma grew up in Norristown and briefly coached at St. Joe’s.
- Two players were from the Philly area as well: Rutgers’ Shawnetta Stewart grew up in Philly, and Tennessee’s Kristen “Ace” Clement hailed from Broomall in Delco.
In the end, the Philly-area native with the most cause for celebration was Auriemma, as the UConn Huskies took home the NCAA title after a 71-52 win against Tennessee.
