Tourney time

Making a Deal, Southern-style

Walking through the Georgia Dome for the NCAA South Region's media day parallels the feeling of participating in the game show "Let's Make a Deal."

Lots of curtains and doors - with some helpful, and some superfluous, things behind them.

The day consists of running back and forth between the media interview room - where coaches and players give mostly cliché answers to cliché questions, with even the good questions provoking cliché answers - and the court, to watch the players practice.

MARGARET MYERS/Daily Michigan forward Maceo Baston worked on his shot - and a new look - yesterday during warmups at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Baston shaved his head in preparation for the NCAA Tournament.

Getting from one location to the other, however, isn't as simple as it may seem.

Upon entering the stadium - a building better suited for football than basketball - you can't help but be overwhelmed by the mammoth size of the arena.

"This place is huge," Michigan's Robert Traylor said.

The stadium can hold more than 70,000 fans - 40,628 for basketball. So, for the tournament games, a large black curtain that extends the diameter of the stadium hangs from the ceiling.

Please tell the contestant what's behind curtain No. 1!

... Of course. Here's where you'll be able to watch the games. The stadium is sooo large that we had to split the seating area in half, leaving thousands of seats unused.

Then, you have to go through another curtain, like the wizard's drapery in The Wizard of Oz, to find the media-related facilities, which are also separated by more curtains, this time blue.

And behind curtain No. 2!

... Well, for all you reporters who thrive on statistics - you'll be enthralled by the piles and piles of team media and postseason guides containing everything from Kentucky's 27-0 record when leading with five minutes left in the game to UCLA's list of 23 mottos on team attitude.

But hold on - the Wildcats' and coach Tubby Smith's press conference is about to begin.

Just the names alone of some of the coaches here are enough to talk about. You've got a Tubby, a Bruiser (Massachusetts's Bruiser Flint), a Cy (South Carolina State's Cy Alexander) and a Spoon (the nickname of St. Louis's Charlie Spoonhour).

Time for the press conference - but what's the best way to get there?

Of course. It's as direct as a walk down the hall, a left turn past the video distribution area, down a platform to the dark, behind-the-scenes corridors of the Georgia Dome, dodging the workers driving forklifts around the bend and, finally, through a door that's almost hidden.

Kentucky guard Jeff Sheppard, whose injured ankle was a topic of media interest, perfectly summed up the atmosphere of Media Day.

"I don't know anything generic that hasn't been said to you guys," Sheppard said.

Thank you, Jeff, at least you're honest.

And on through another curtain.

Lastly, behind curtain No. 3!

... OK, it's the Media Hospitality Room - where media members can stuff themselves with snacks and drinks for their dining pleasure.

Funny, the soda fountain contains Pepsi, in a city practically financed by Coke.

After a short break, more teams come out to participate in light practices. Michigan's practice was more of a slam-fest, showcasing their leaping, showboating skills in front of photographers and television cameramen. And it was the thunderous Traylor, of all people, who missed a dunk. His penalty: five (weakly executed) pushups.

Besides Jerod Ward making a half-court shot and a playful 3-point contest won by Michigan sharpshooter Louis Bullock, the other entertainment was the clean-shaven haircuts sported by Maceo Baston, Brandon Smith, Ron Oliver and Donte Scott.

"We all just kind of decided to go bald," Baston said. "We wanted to start off the tourney fresh with a clean scalp and make a good run at this thing.

"We tried to get Travis (Conlan) to do it and Rob (Traylor) to do it. It's tough to get Travis and Jerod ... we'll just have to tie them down."

As the Michigan players leave the podium, they disappear - yup, you guessed it - behind another curtain.

Michigan fans can only hope that behind the next curtain will be a trip to the Sweet 16 rather than another early exit from the NCAA Tournament.

03-13-98