Tampa Bay Shines During Record-Fourth Women's Final Four

By Joey Johnston

On a picture-perfect 85-degree Sunday afternoon, with the bright sunlight shimmering off Tampa Bay and the city’s downtown corridor humming with energy, Nancy Sewell of Trumbull, Conn., said she was peaceful and content.

“I could sit out here all afternoon, just watching all the boats going by,’’ said Sewell before heading to Tourney Town at the Tampa Convention Center with her husband, Ed. “I don’t want to leave. What a backdrop for a sporting event. This place is truly amazing.’’ 

So was the entire week of NCAA Women’s Final Four activity.

From the moment the four team charter flights touched down on Tuesday through Sunday afternoon’s adrenaline-charged moment of confetti falling on the triumphant UConn Huskies at Amalie Arena, it was an event not to be forgotten.

UConn defeated South Carolina 82-59, giving the sellout crowd of 19,777 an opportunity to witness history. UConn (37-3) made it an even dozen national championships (and its first since 2016) under Coach Geno Auriemma, while spoiling the back-to-back title hopes of Coach Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks (35-4).

“I will now go avail myself of Tampa’s finest food and beverages,’’ said UConn fan Howard Finley of New York. “You know, people thought UConn women’s basketball was dead. The dynasty was over. I think we can put that theory to rest.

“Have you seen a better team effort than that? We didn’t need Paige (Bueckers) to go nuclear. We just wore South Carolina down. I think UConn put on a great show and I’ve got to tell you, so did Tampa. This town gave us one heck of a time.’’

Once again.

Raising The Bar

For a record fourth time, Tampa Bay hosted the Women’s Final Four, which was orchestrated by the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, the University of South Florida (host institution) and the NCAA. After a full year of planning and execution, the event’s organizers could exhale while taking a bow.

“As we have come to expect, Team Tampa Bay stepped up in a huge way with this Women’s Final Four,’’ NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman said. “Everywhere you looked, people were smiling and having a great time.

“You couldn’t have a more convenient downtown footprint. The amenities at Amalie Arena are tremendous. The weather was spectacular. Everything worked so well. Once again, Team Tampa Bay has raised the bar for this event.’’

That’s always the goal.

“We are beyond pleased with how the week went and grateful to all of our partners for pouring their heart and soul into the event,’’ Tampa Bay Sports Commission executive director Rob Higgins said. “That starts with the phenomenal leadership of Claire Lessinger (the TBSC’s vice president of events), our advisory committee and countless others who did everything they could to make sure we raised the bar.’’

Even the two Final Four teams that didn’t make it to the championship game had positive vibes.

“Our program has never been treated with more class and organization that what we saw here in Tampa,’’ Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “I think if you ask coaches, they’d like to see this event rotate between about four places — and Tampa is definitely one of them.’’

“We were the No. 1 overall seed, so we got to stay in the nicest hotel (JW Marriott), right across the street, so that was really great,’’ UCLA coach Cori Close said. “It’s a little different bringing your team here (it was UCLA’s first Women’s Final Four) instead of just coming (for the WBCA Convention). But what a welcoming area. You could tell the work that went into it and how everybody cared about making it an awesome event. And it was.’’

A Week Filled With Memories

There was the support of Dove/Unilever and local impact through the NCAA’s “Legacy Project,’’ the sparkling new Riverfront Recreation Center indoor-court facility at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, a historic site for Tampa basketball that will thrive long after the Women’s Final Four has left town.

There was the charged-up enthusiasm from hundreds of elementary school children, getting to visit Tourney Town at the Tampa Convention Center, after participating in “Read to the Final Four,’’ a program designed to improve literacy by tapping into the enthusiasm for basketball.

There was the stunning sight of 3,000 kids dribbling basketballs along the Tampa Riverwalk as part of Saturday morning’s Bounce presented by Buick event.

There was Super Saturday, when UConn and South Carolina held open practices before a packed lower-bowl crowd, and the free night concert by GloRilla.

“While there were numerous memories that we will have with us forever, we think the real impact of this event is still to come,’’ Higgins said. “This is an event whose social impact will continue to be felt in our hometown over several generations.’’

The community pride was palpable.

“I am absolutely loving all these festivities happening in Tampa and it’s wonderful to see it in my backyard,’’ said Tampa attorney Natasha Goodley, a South Carolina alum. “It makes me proud to see all the South Carolina fans, the alumni, the graduates arriving here to support our program. It’s just awesome.’’

The Women’s Final Four has grown exponentially since Tampa Bay first hosted the event in 2008. Tampa’s downtown offerings have grown right along with it, offering the Riverwalk, Sparkman Wharf, more hotel options and a fleet of new restaurants.

“Team Tampa Bay has been a tremendous partner,’’ Holzman said. “There have been numerous instances where we have learned from Tampa Bay, which has been so successful in hosting all kinds of events, such as the College Football Playoff Championship Game, the NHL All-Star Game and so many others.

“What we found this year is this event has grown so large that we just couldn’t limit ourselves to Thunder Alley (outside Amalie Arena) for fan events, so we grew into the Party on the Plaza at Cotanchobee Park. The Tampa Bay Sports Commission knew that would work based on their past experience with other events and it worked beautifully. Ideally you want to keep elevating this event and that has definitely happened in Tampa Bay. It has been wonderful for the fans.’’

And the players, too.

An Elite Experience

One of the Sports Commission mantras is offering an elite experience for the student-athletes. Although free time is often at a premium — with players spending most of their time at the arena or hotel — there were rave reviews from UConn, South Carolina, Texas and UCLA.

They visited the Florida Aquarium.

They were duly impressed by the shopping options at International Plaza.

They laid out by the pool.

But mostly, they were made to feel special at every turn. On arrival day, they walked on red carpets into their hotels. Each player had a box of gourmet chocolates presented with their room keys. The lobbies featured sand sculptures with the team logo and selfies were taken liberally.

“This has been all so much fun,’’ UConn’s Kaitlyn Chen said. “I loved looking out my hotel-room window and seeing the water all around. It’s just a relaxing, fun city.’’

“I can see why the Women’s Final Four has been in Tampa a few times,’’ South Carolina’s Raven Johnson said. “It’s the perfect place for this event.’’

South Carolina’s Bree Hall said it stung to come so far, only to fall short in the championship game. But it was still a trip she won’t forget.

“Tampa is a very beautiful city,’’ Hall said. “I will say that at one point I looked around and said to myself, ‘Hey, I want to live here maybe one day.’ So I loved it here.’’

UConn’s Paige Bueckers was in high school when she attended the 2019 Women’s Final Four in Tampa. She remembers that “the environment was crazy, the turnout was crazy and the games were really high-level.’’

Her return to Tampa was even more memorable.

Early Sunday evening, she sat in her locker stall, alone with her thoughts, head down, arms folded, the game-day net still draped around her neck. Her college career hardly needed validation and her talent, expected to make her the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA, can’t be questioned.

But for “Paige Buckets,’’ it was a thrilling moment in time at a place that will remain in her heart.

“It was an amazing atmosphere here and a great environment for women’s basketball,’’ Bueckers said. “The turnout and the people you see walking the streets of Tampa, all here to support women’s basketball, all of that made it extra special.

“It was all around great vibes. I have such gratitude for my whole career and everything that happened this weekend in Tampa.’’

Sometimes, warmth means more than nice weather.

After UConn won the 2015 championship in Tampa, Auriemma said he hoped the city would be in a frequent rotation to host the Women’s Final Four because he felt it had so many positives. That position has only been enhanced.

“They know how to put on great events here in Tampa,’’ Auriemma said. “Everything was first-class and all of us in women’s basketball are so appreciative of that.’’