Like a leap year, calls for Syracuse to host the Final Four run through these parts cyclically, every few years, usually right after the Carrier Dome successfully hosts an NCAA Tournament Regional.

But before he reads another letter to a local newspaper or receives another call about it, Pat Campbell wants you to know exactly what chance Syracuse has at hosting a Final Four.

‘Zero,’ he says. ‘Right now, with the way things are, it’s simply not possible.’

Campbell, the Carrier Dome managing director, has called the NCAA before, inquiring about the stipulations for hosting a Final Four. He last called in 2002, when Syracuse hosted the Regional, because the community buzzed with hope. Rather quickly, Campbell realized the Carrier Dome, the city and the community didn’t have the resources to host it.

In the three years since, nothing has changed.

Quite simply, Syracuse is nowhere near meeting the requirements. Between hotel needs, media accommodations and attendance, at least a dozen other cities dwarf Syracuse’s rsum.

This year, the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis is hosting the Final Four. In the future, the RCA Dome (Indianapolis), Georgia Dome (Atlanta), Alamo Dome (San Antonio), Ford Field (Detroit) and Reliant Stadium (Houston) are the scheduled sites.

‘These are the kinds of places that should be hosting this kind of thing,’ said Jake Crouthamel, the outgoing director of athletics and the tournament director for the Syracuse Regional. ‘People don’t understand that actually hosting a basketball game is literally the easiest part of it.’

Syracuse has tried before. In 1996, when Crouthamel served on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee, former Syracuse Mayor Roy Bernardi sent a letter to the NCAA, pitching Syracuse as a destination.

As a committee member, Crouthamel read the letter. He exhausted all conceivable means, trying to make Syracuse fit the criteria.

‘But the handwriting was pretty much on the wall,’ Crouthamel said. ‘I’m one of the guys who’s gonna make a decision for a recommendation site. And I know damn well that I wouldn’t be able to justify my recommendation (if I picked Syracuse).’

Of course, the major push for a city to host a Final Four is the economic impact. The Atlanta Sports Council estimates the economic impact from the 2002 Final Four at $59.6 million. For a Regional, Crouthamel said the economic impact is about $22 million.

‘The Regional is the perfect niche for us to fill,’ Crouthamel said. ‘Let’s not get greedy.’

Syracuse doesn’t have the amenities a Final Four demands. Aside from hosting the games, Final Four sites need a separate facility for a 4,000-person banquet, a National Association of Basketball Coaches dinner and a breakfast for future hosts. Right now, the city is unequipped for that.

This year, America’s Center (of which Edward Jones Dome is a part) will also present a Hoops City exhibit, a place for kids to learn the fundamentals of the game and participate in activities.

The NCAA also stipulates that the stadium needs the infrastructure to accommodate hundreds of media and at least 30,000 fans. Though the Carrier Dome can meet the bare minimum attendance figure, 30,000 is a poor showing for the Final Four. And the Carrier Dome falls embarrassingly short on media space.

‘Media take up by far the most amount of space,’ said Bruce Sommer, the director of America’s Center.

For just satellite trucks, Sommer has reserved 80,000 square feet (about the equivalent to one St. Louis city block). CBS’s equipment will take up almost half of America’s Center’s convention halls.

By contrast, the Carrier Dome was built as compactly as possible, as designers tried to fit the stadium on campus. As a result, the bowels of the Carrier Dome are meager.

‘Until we can accommodate the media restrictions,’ Crouthamel said, ‘we can’t host a Final Four.’

Crouthamel had hope once. Back in the mid-90s, he considered pitching a tent outside the Carrier Dome for media space, alleviating one major obstacle. But aside from the inconvenience that poses, Syracuse also faces the threat of snow, even if the tournament crawls into early April.

In 2002, the last time Syracuse hosted a Regional, snow fell on the city.

‘Now you’re telling me we’re gonna set up a tent with the snow falling outside?’ Crouthamel said. Then he chuckled. ‘I mean, why?’

Despite the obvious shortfalls, the possibility still piques Campbell.

DestiNY USA, the extravagant entertainment, recreation, dining and hospitality project, would advance Syracuse’s shot at landing the Final Four. But complications continue, and the project seems like a distant dream.

And the Carrier Dome still would struggle with media and attendance.

‘We’d love to host the Final Four,’ Campbell said. ‘But we’re not going to spend a lot of time thinking about it at this point.’

Said Crouthamel: ‘We can not host the Final Four. Stop thinking about it.’

After this weekend, calls will likely be made, hopes renewed. But even for a community abuzz, the possibility remains empty.

Published on March 25, 2005 at 12:00 pm