SAN ANTONIO – Championship high school basketball is headed to the Alamo City as the Alamodome plays host to UIL's boys and girls Final Four tournaments.
The 'dome pulling out all the stops, even bringing out and old floor used for the NCAA Regional Finals in 2004 and making it look brand new.
"Oh, it looks fantastic," said Nick Langella, the Alamodome's general manager. "(It) took two weeks' time, (with) a lot of stripping of old paint. It was the old NCAA (color scheme), so it was blue and red and all kinds of carnival colors."
The court has a maroon color around the border with Alamodome spelled out at each end. The floor itself is hardwood, with the city logo in the center.
The configuration will be similar to when the Spurs played in the 'dome, with the court at the north end and curtains hanging down behind the south side bleachers. It should hold up to 32,000 people.
"That was a factor for them too. They had been pushing the limits of (Austin's Frank J.) Erwin Center," Langella said.
"It's going to help girls basketball, which has been declining across the state, and actually across the nation over the last seven years," said said Northeast Independent School District Athletic Director Karen Funk. "Boys basketball is at a peak. It's in a fury."
Unlike in Austin, the tournament will be getting all the attention. In years past, the tournament was competing with the South by Southwest festival.
Officials hope with all the Alamo City has to offer, this is just the beginning of a long relationship.
"Right now, this is a one-time deal. They were in Austin for the last 84 years. This is our chance to make San Antonio their new home and we want the next 84 years to be in San Antonio," Langella said.