SPOKANE, Wash—Eight teams are traveling to Spokane for the Men’s NCAA Tournament from cities as far away as South Carolina and as near as San Francisco, and Spokane is putting its best foot forward. NonStop Local spoke to fans traveling from all over, who said Spokane is a slam dunk.
Everett German, who is in Spokane with the College of Charleston, told NonStop Local that Hooptown, USA, lives up to its name.
“We don’t get to come to the West Coast often. We kind of work up and down the East Coast. So, to be able to see a different part of the country, which is beautiful out here, I just think it gives us the opportunity to see things we have not seen before,” said German
Cheering alongside German for the Cougars is Nick Nafpliotis, the Director of Athletic Bands at the College of Charleston, who said his goal is to bring some Charleston flair to the Lilac City,
“We want to bring a piece of TD Arena along with our fans who have traveled here. Get loud, get crazy, and make sure they know that we are here supporting them.”
Ashley Pearson and Meagan Kennedy, who both have family members on the UAB coaching staff, said after attending quite a few of these tournaments, Spokane is shaping up pretty well.
“We are super impressed by the hosting. We had buses waiting for us, and there were people cheering for us in the hotel, which was really cool. The city itself is gorgeous and accommodating,” Pearson said.
Nafpliotis said after just being in Spokane for a short period of time, it’s already starting to feel like home, “We love it. Everyone has been very kind here, and we are happy to make this part of ‘our city’; that’s our motto, and we’re happy to include Spokane in there too.”
