http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/223325/LIKE IT IS : There’s a reason everyone comes to Real Deal
FAYETTEVILLE - Time after time they stopped, looked around and asked: "How many does this seat ?"
About 20, 000, they were told, and the summer basketball coaches and players who traveled from 40 states to take part in the Real Deal on the Hill smiled. Most said the same thing: "Impressive."
The Real Deal on the Hill uses 42 courts, but the eye of the storm is Bud Walton Arena.
In one corner in the front was Bill Self, coach of the national champion Kansas Jayhawks. A little farther down was North Carolina Coach Roy Williams. A few rows back was his archrival, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Doc Sadler, native Arkansan and head coach at Nebraska,
Buzz Williams, new coach at Marquette, and numerous other "name"head coaches were on hand, as well as top-shelf assistants like Colorado's Charles Baker, LSU's Butch Pierre and Kentucky's Glynn Cyprien.
All total, more than 300 coaches registered for the Real Deal on the Hill.
As Sadler said: "This tournament just gets better and better."
Of course, Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey had his list of prospects to watch, and he was decked out in a suit, sans tie, because "I'm representing the University of Arkansas."
It is Pelphrey's home court. He positioned himself on the front row, but he doesn't have a personal advantage this weekend. He's just another NCAA Tournament coach.
NCAA rules don't allow summer coaches or players to have contact during this period, so the college coaches sit spread out - so no one can see their notes - and watch hour after hour.
By putting the biggest names - 102 of the top 150 players in the country - under the biggest roof, the coaches don't have to drive or, for that matter, leave campus unless they are looking at 16-year-olds. Then they can see all of their games at All Star Sports Arena in Springdale.
Of course, several of the coaches made the drive to Conway and back for the Old School Tournament.
The Real Deal on the Hill - and founder Bill Ingram is quick to admit it - is a huge success, and a lot of the credit goes to the 180 volunteers who work long hours and give out tons of smiles.
Annette Fisher, Derek's mom, Diane Johnson, Joe's mom, and Bettye Williamson, Corliss' mom, work every year to make sure the coaches are well-fed and happy.
Keith Jackson, Marcus Elliott and James Rouse were on hand, and every helper was full of southern charm and hospitality.
Everyone should leave feeling good about the tournament.
This is the fourth year for the tournament and its growth has been incredible, but people like John Tyson and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette believed in Ingram from the get-go and, with their help, the tournament has grown from 82 teams to 268 this season.
It brings millions into the local economy and even impacts central Arkansas as more than 20 teams flew into Little Rock and rented vans for the beautiful drive here.
Hotel rooms here were harder to come by than a cheap gallon of gas.
Mostly, though, what Ingram and his volunteers focus on are the teams. From the elite teams that are sponsored by Reebok, Adidas or Nike to the 9-yearolds who are playing more for fun than anything, everyone is made to feel welcome.
When P. Diddy called Friday and said he would be there Saturday, Ingram quickly arranged extra security to ensure that the hip-hop king could watch the games in peace.
Saturday afternoon's session attracted several hundred fans, and more than 250 head coaches and assistant coaches came and went at Bud Walton.
There was great basketball all weekend in the finest on-campus facility in America, one that will soon have its floor stripped to the wood, repainted and varnished under the careful eye of Fred Vorsanger, Bud Walton Arena's manager who celebrates his 80 th birthday today.
Bill Ingram's dream is a fullfledged reality. The Real Deal on the Hill is one of the best tournaments of the spring or summer because the kids come first.
