Atlanta, a city already bustling with sport’s enthusiasm, is gradually being taken over by college basketball faithful. Final Four fans from across the country, albeit mostly the Midwest, are invading this year’s worthy host. We arrived early yesterday morning, grabbing some rest before venturing out to get an early taste of the buzz. The participating teams are staying in the Lenox Square, a high-class shopping district located north of downtown. Many of the players and fans spent their downtime browsing the mall yesterday. We were among them and crossed paths with several players, including Louisville starts Peyton Siva and Chane Behanan. Siva is a much friendlier personality than Behanan, who comes off somewhat arrogant. In the evening, we attended the College Slam Dunk and 3-point contest at Georgia Tech University. Mizzou’s Keion Bell competed in the dunk contest but was unable to land any of his attempts despite successfully leaping over Murray State’s Isaiah Canaan. Bell had mesmerized Tiger fans by flushing a slam after clearing six people at Mizzou’s preseason fan event. Had he connected on his preliminary dunks, Bell might have advanced to the semis, but it’s unlikely he would have out-shined Detroit’s Doug Anderson. The small-school sensation thrilled fans with a combination of between-the-legs, 360-reverse flushes to record a perfect score in every round. He edged Arizona State’s Carrick Felix in the finals. The 3-point contest was also more hyped than usual, with a lot of outstanding performances. Troy Daniels of VCU won the event, outlasting Indiana’s Jordan Hulls. He then went head-to head with the women’s champion, defeating Indiana’s Aulani Sinclair. This year’s event was better attended than any in recent years, which is a promising early sign for Atlanta. While at the dunk contest, we had several encounters, including meeting VCU coach Shaka Smart and Florida Gulf Coast coach Andy Enfield, who recently accepted the USC job. We jawed about him moving from one great climate to another and the incredible turns his career has taken. He’s taken a unique path to success, leaving a cushy corporate job to pursue a much less lucrative passion. He began as a shooting instructor at New Jersey High School. Now he finds himself on the opposite coast, facing the task of reviving a basketball program that takes a back seat to football. On Thursday, we also got a sneak peek of the Georgia Dome, which will house Saturday and Monday’s NCAA games. This year’s event should be fairly convenient, although traffic may be an issue. Indianapolis was my favorite host because of the incredible ease of commuting, parking and traversing the downtown. Houston was a nightmare, requiring constant travel from one venue to another. New Orleans was again convenient. I believe Atlanta will be manageable. Most of the events are centrally located within walking distance and should provide plenty of entertainment on foot. On Friday, the teams will hold open practices in the afternoon at The Dome. This evening we are going to the Atlanta Hawks game, and we also have a Braves game planned on Sunday. I’ll give Atlanta credit for being a good host society based on its merits of having plenty of entertainment. Aside from other sporting events taking place this weekend, there are also a lot of shows filmed in the area. This morning we stopped by Gallery 63, which plays host to the Discovery Channel show “Auction Kings.” The characters form the show were there taking care of daily business and were extremely friendly, taking time to visit with us. We browsed the consignment room, which featured a lot of unique, intriguing items. Other celebrity encounters yesterday include the lead singer of Fun. Final Four Blog Logo