When the days are filled with win or go home games we know it’s time for, MarchMadness. Arguably the best time of the year for basketball fans, I was lucky enough to be one of very few people who were on a NCAA National Championship team.

Going back to the 2013–2014 season, Uconn had an unbelievable run in the NCAA tournament to capture our 4th National title. The experience in itself is among the best I’ve had in my entire life.

Uconn ended up playing in the East Region in MSG for a shot at the Final 4 after playing St Joes and Villanova in Buffalo NY. Playing in the Garden is always special, especially for Uconn because our supporters never fail to overrun opposing fans in that building!

Heading into the Final 4 in Dallas, we got a chance to tour the Cowboys Stadium (final 4 venue). I don’t know much about football but I was in awe at how incredible that stadium was.

While the teams were in Dallas, we got fitted for rings, we had team photo shoots there was even a huge arcade for players and fans to hang out. Everything about this experience was first class, granted it’s Uconn and we are use to a certain level of travel, lodging etc, but the tournament was definitely on par with that.

Having a basketball game in a football stadium was a very unique experience, I can remember the cheers from the crowd being a few seconds delayed because of how big the arena was (science ??‍♂️). After winning, we enjoyed the post game ceremony then headed back to the locker room where the real celebration began.

Fast forward to making it back to Connecticut where we had an amazing welcome from our Governor and what seemed to be the entire state! Later, was the huge parade in Hartford where again we got to interact and show our appreciation for our supporters.

Leading up to the games, one of the most memorable events was the open practices where our fans were able to come see us and interact with us. As a team we got a chance to see our supporters and thank them for being with us all year long.

The entire #MarchMadness run was an amazing time for us and our fans. Some fans were more lucky; in that they were able to afford a more VIP experience, this is why I’m happy to be apart of courtsideclub that is all about fan inclusivity!

by Kentan Facey co-founder of CourtSideClub