It featured two obscure schools vying for the 64th spot in the field and the right to be pulverized by one of the No. 1 seeds a couple of days later.
It got old by about year two, but the community kept buying tickets and turning out about 8,000 strong for this one-night event that critics around the country dismissed as unnecessary and less than charming.
If only for making it seem like less of a nuisance, Dayton is owed an infinite amount of First Fours, even if attendance was down at this year’s. In fact, the event should be Dayton’s forever and, frankly, throwing it open for bids — as the NCAA plans to do after UD hosts it again next year — seems like an insult.
Commendably, the city found a way to turn the First Four into more than a two-night basketball event. A festival in the Oregon District on Sunday attracted thousands, including such area hoops luminaries as Brooks Hall and Jesse Deister, who starred at Dayton and Wright State, respectively, a while back. Deister, who returned to the area from California about a year ago to start a home healthcare business, marveled at the turnout but wasn’t surprised.
Nobody should be. That the second annual First Four came off without a hitch was as predictable as a 1 seed beating a 16. The NCAA bigwigs should take heed.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland @DaytonDailyNews.com.
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