Big bounce: Final Four Dribble takes to streets

Basketball fans 18 years and younger are invited to register for the NCAA Final Four Dribble that will take place on Sunday, April 1. Free basketballs and T-shirts will be provided to registrants before they bounce the balls from the start line at Champions Square at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to the finish line at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Organizers expect 3,000 kids to follow the one-and-a-half-mile route on Poydras Street in downtown New Orleans. The dribble is presented in association with the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, which has Tulane University as its host institution.

Risa Hall, assistant director of the New Orleans Final Four Host Committee, says that everyone can anticipate a fun time at the family event.

Hall witnessed the NCAA Final Four Dribble last year in Houston. She says it was “amazing, organized chaos — it was quite a sight,” watching the large group of kids dressed in NCAA® Final Four® T-shirts, dribbling basketballs.

Advance registration is encouraged for the New Orleans Dribble, but fans also can register on-site on the day of the event beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Registration takes a little time, says Hall, but the wait will be worth it. At Champions Square during the on-site registration, which will be on a first-come, first-served basis, there will be face painting and a disc jockey playing music for the crowd.

An adult must accompany participants younger than 12 years old.

Registrants wearing the official T-shirt will be admitted for free into Bracket Town refreshed by Coca-Cola Zero, where there will be more sports activities like interactive games and autograph signings.

Start time for the NCAA Final Four Dribble is 2 p.m. The event is presented by the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Other sponsors are Wilson Sporting Goods and the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee for the Final Four.