How Wichita plans to ‘roll out the red carpet’ for NCAA women’s basketball players
The curtain was pulled back on the NCAA last March, exposing the inequality between how the women’s basketball tournament was treated behind the scenes compared to the men’s.
A viral social-media video highlighted the staggering difference between the minimal equipment provided to the women’s players to work out and the lavish weight rooms made available to the men’s players. That prompted the NCAA to conduct an outside review of its practices, a 113-page report that found evidence of “systemic gender inequity issues” in the NCAA.
“Somebody dropped the ball on that,” said women’s basketball trailblazer Lynette Woodard, a Wichita native. “Those things cannot happen, especially at that high of a level. You know if it’s happening at that high of level, then there are slips in the cracks below. Those are the details behind the curtain that we don’t always see. When those things get better, then things will get better out in front of the curtain too.”
Wichita is uniquely situated to help the NCAA redeem itself this March Madness, as the city is set to host the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of the Division I NCAA women’s basketball tournament for the first time on March 26 and 28 at Intrust Bank Arena.
And if you listen to the Wichita regional tournament director Brad Pittman, who oversees all athletic facilities at Wichita State, the city is more than ready to help.
“We want to roll out the red carpet for them,” Pittman said. “We want them to feel special and have the best student-athlete experience they can.”
Linda Hargrove, a trailblazing women’s basketball coach with Wichita ties, has seen so many promises about the women’s game go unfulfilled over the years.
She has the rare perspective of coming up before Title IX was introduced in 1972. Hargrove, a Udall native who now resides in Derby, is so proud of how far the game has come in 50 years, but then an incident like last year’s NCAA women’s tournament pops up and it provides a stark reminder.
“We’ve made so many strides, but we still have a long way to go before we get to where we need to be,” Hargrove said. “It feels like we’ve come a long way, then other times it feels like we still haven’t moved the bar very much.”
That’s why it’s so important for Wichita not only to say the right thing, but to do the right thing when it hosts four of the top women’s college basketball teams in the country later this month.
“Wichita has such a big opportunity to be a highlight this year,” said Angela Buckner, a Wichita native and former Wichita State women’s basketball standout. “We just saw how poorly the tournament was run last year, but I know Wichita is first class. We have a chance to throw a great tournament that people will talk about.”
“This is a chance for us to showcase what the city of Wichita has to offer on a national stage,” Hargrove said. “Wichita has always stepped up when it comes time to host these kinds of events and I’m sure it will happen again. It would be amazing to see Intrust filled with rabid fans supporting their teams and local fans just here to support women’s basketball. That really would be the best.”
Here’s a detailed look at how Wichita plans on fulfilling its promise and continuing to be a destination for future NCAA Tournaments.
How will Wichita respond to gender inequity issues?
Valley Center native Nikki Epley, a former WSU softball player, spent years working behind the scenes on some of the largest sporting events in the country — the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff, NCAA Final Fours.
She was stunned last year to see the videos and pictures showing the inequality between the women’s players and men’s players.
“It was very unfortunate, but it happened and it was real,” Epley said. “We can’t let that happen again here in Wichita. I know we won’t.”
Pittman said Wichita won’t have to change up much from how it operated in 2018 when the city hosted the opening rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
“We’re basically doing the same exact things we did for the men in 2018,” Pittman said. “The same signage, the same quality of facilities, the same locker rooms, amenities, products. Anything we did for the men, that’s what we’re going to do for the women.”
That starts by making the new weight room at the Student-Athlete Success Center on WSU’s campus and the weight room at Koch Arena available, along with a strength and conditioning coach if needed, for the teams arriving in Wichita.
If teams need additional practice time outside of their scheduled practices at Intrust Bank Arena, WSU will make its main court and practice court available, while Newman and Friends have also offered their courts if needed.
Because all of the top seeds in the Wichita regional are more than seven driving hours away, the NCAA will coordinate with the teams advancing to Wichita and arrange chartered flights. Buses will be set up to take the team, as well as the cheerleaders and band members, from the airport to four different hotels: the Hyatt Regency Wichita and Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview in downtown locations and the Wichita Marriott and Holiday Inn in east-side locations.
They are the same locations that host men’s basketball teams who travel to Wichita to play the Shockers, while all four are also full-service hotels.
What will the players eat while they’re in Wichita?
Another issue that arose during last year’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament was the poor quality of food compared to the men.
The NCAA has tried to rectify the problem by investing more money into food options this season, spending nearly $25,000 in food for host sites like Wichita to provide.
On practice days, players will have snacks and beverages available to them in the locker room. On game days, they will have snacks, meals and beverages available to them. Members of the team will be able to order their meals off of a menu.
Entrees that will be available will include chicken enchiladas, smoked pulled pork, grilled chicken breast, pot roast, Thai glazed salmon, coffee-rubbed brisket, mango tilapia, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and southwest chicken wraps.
Starch options include penne pasta with alfredo, roasted potatoes, cilantro lime rice and stewed white beans with greens. There will be plenty of salad options with pasta salad, Caesar salad, garden salad and potato salad with fresh berries, along with sauteed green beans, roasted squash and zucchini and steamed carrots.
Side options will include house-made kettle chips, tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole, watermelon, cookies, brownies, blondies, Reese’s peanut butter Rice Krispies treats and lemon bars.
What is there to do in Wichita for March Madness?
This is where Wichita believes it stands out from other cities when it comes to hosting the NCAA Tournament.
The fan fest that was so popular back in 2018 is making its return to Wichita on Saturday, March 26 from noon to 8 p.m. at Naftzger Park, a short walk away from Intrust Bank Arena.
“I really think the fan fest is what makes a big difference,” said Troy Houtman, the director of the Wichita Parks & Recreation department in charge of the event. “The other places we scouted, they don’t put this much effort into it. I think that’s what makes the difference here.”
The fan fest will be a family-friendly event with NCAA Tournament games being played on the big screen at Naftzger Park with a live DJ playing music, while there will be two food trucks parked along St. Francis street and they are working on finding a vendor to sell alcoholic beverages.
There will be plenty of yard games to play, like cornhole, as well as pop-a-shot and basketball goals set up for people to shoot on.
“When we hosted the men’s tournament here a few years ago, that was the place to be,” Linda Hargrove said. “Downtown was where everybody wanted to be.”
There are several factors for why it will be difficult to replicate that kind of atmosphere this spring, mainly because there won’t be a fan base like KU that was so close to Wichita. If top seeds like Louisville, Baylor, Michigan and Tennessee all advance to Wichita, they are sure to bring passionate fans, but that’s a long trek to make.
Another difference is there will only be four fan bases in Wichita this time around compared to the eight the city hosted for the early rounds of the men’s tournament in 2018.
“We know we’re not going to have as many people, but the great thing about hosting the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight is these are going to be some of the best teams in the country,” Houtman said. “Our expectation is to do the same thing we did for the men, for the women this year. We want folks coming to Wichita and leaving Wichita saying, ‘This is a great place to host games.’ We’re excited for people to come out and experience what Wichita has to offer and watch a very high level of basketball.”
Wichita received nothing but positive feedback from the teams and the NCAA last time it was in town, according to tournament director Brad Pittman, with the fan fest being the main attraction.
They hope to create another lively atmosphere by inviting each team to have a pep rally at Naftzger Park before entering the arena.
“That was the one thing a lot of the student-athletes mentioned last time was driving up to the arena to play a game and seeing people everywhere,” Pittman said. “I think that just made it feel like an even bigger deal. When you see that kind of excitement from the fans, that gets you even more excited to play. We want to create that environment again and we’re hoping Wichita will come out and support the women’s game this time around.”
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