It’s not every year that a collegiate basketball team goes back to back in the NCAA National Championship.
That’s why, when it seemed like the UConn men’s basketball team was headed for a repeat, the university had to prepare to prevent a different repeat– the destruction to campus the year before.
After the 2023 National Championship win, several students and others were charged with vandalism, including taking down a light pole and smashing it through the student union’s doors. The damage cost over $130,000 and resulted in multiple arrests.
An orange traffic cone where a light pole used to be in front of Gampel Pavilion / Julliana Bravo
This year, the university took action by removing 22 light poles central to Gampel Pavilion, Nathan Bedard, Manager of Interior Renewal at UConn said. Facilities operations also added flood lights to the side of the business building across Gampel to make up for the lost lighting.
Facilities operations also brought on extra staff at the UConn trade shops– structural trades, electrical, energy management systems, HVAC, and plumbing to respond to any work orders that might occur during the National Championship and Final Four watch parties, Bedard said. These staff came in at around 6 p.m., and weren’t scheduled to leave until the celebration was over, which is not typical, Bedard said.
The damage to campus this year significantly decreased compared to last year. This year, the most damage caused were a few broken windows– one at the campus gym and another at the engineering building. Staff were able to quickly board up the windows and clean up the broken glass. The next day, early in the morning, staff went back to properly fix the window, he added.
Like facilities operations, the fire station staffed an additional 15 firefighters for the watch parties compared to the five for a regular season game. The fire department also staffed for the needs of the entire campus, not just the fans in Gampel, Capt. Christopher Renshaw of the UConn Fire Department said.
Flood lights on the side of the business building / Julliana Bravo
“We staff the station for the whole campus of Storrs to absorb not only the activity that’s happening in Gampel, but also everybody else who’s on campus,” he said.
However, the biggest change in preparing for the 2024 National Championship was simply preparing earlier– about one month in advance, he said. The fire department found a lot of success with the plans implemented last year, Renshaw added.
Planning for a Final Four or National Championship is a “collaborative approach that can take weeks if not months,” Capt. Matthew Zadrowski of the UConn Police Department said in an email interview. The police department works with university partners to try to “mitigate risk, prepare for the events, respond to the event, and ultimately recover” from a tournament event, he added.
However, before university staff can even think about preparing for a National Championship let alone a Final Four, the university needs to ensure that they have plans in order for a regular season game.
In the 2023–2024 season, a total of over 174,000 fans attended Gampel Pavilion to watch some of the most dominant college basketball in the country.
While fans get to experience an event lasting anywhere from three to four hours, game-day production behind the scenes takes much more preparation than most realize.
Zadrowski
Preparation starts well before the school year begins. In the off season, representatives from university safety which consists of the police and fire departments, fire marshal, emergency communication, emergency management, and others such as athletics, parking and facilities– meet to update planning documents and improve overall response to events, Zadrowski said.
Once the college basketball season begins, is when preparation will go into play.
Zadrowski works with the police department to “provide a seasonal operational plan for staff, along with single-game plans.” These plans can include directions for roles and assignments, logistics, information from other partners, command structures, resources to support the event, and schedules, Zadrowski said.
Just like playing against an opponent, each game is unique and poses different challenges. Factors such as time, day, schedule, weather, or other events on campus all can impact the reaction to the game, Zadrowski said.
To prepare for each game, the police department looks back on activity from prior events. The department employs an “after action report” which helps it identify the things that went well and other things that might need improvement.
However, some things stay the same. Every game is led by a commanding officer. Before the doors open, this officer will conduct a roll call about 90 minutes prior to tipoff to cover expectations and specifics about the game and ensure everyone knows their role, Zadrowski said.
Some of the roles include stationing at Gampel or being part of traffic management.
Gampel Pavilion can host over 10,000 fans and this year all but one women’s game was sold out. As a result, some police officers are stationed to help the hundreds of cars arrive in Storrs. They might be stationed at intersections, help set up cone patterns, or close roads, Zadrowski said.
“Our staff put in a lot of care and compassion into the hours they work to support events, but we are only one piece. There are many people working behind the scenes to ensure success of the event,” Zadrowski said.
On the other hand, the UConn Fire Department provides similar resources to Gampel Pavilion for game day to ensure community safety.
First, the fire department staff will arrive at the station and get their assignments for the game, Renshaw said.
Back of the fire station / Julliana Bravo
Several staff are located in Gampel– one Officer in Charge on hand, five firefighters, two EMS teams with two firefighters each that handle any medical emergency, a fire inspector from the fire marshal’s office, and a paramedic provided by Windham Hospital, he said.
They carry emergency medical equipment, an AED, and wear their firefighter uniforms, Renshaw said.
Communication is key with an event like this. That is why about 75 minutes before doors open, the Officer in Charge will have a Unified Command meeting with other leadership at Gampel such as the police department, facilities, parking services, security staff, and the fire marshal. In this meeting, some important game notes are talked about such as what to expect, notes on the halftime show, and if alcohol will be sold.
Renshaw explained that alcohol might influence the expectation for safety staff. In the 2024 watch parties, alcohol was not sold, a change from the 2023 tournament.
At the same time, other fire department staff stay back at the station in case those at Gampel need backup. At the station, one shift commander is in charge of both the Storrs and Farmington campus, a company officer supervises staff, and firefighters who can staff ambulances, the engine, tower ladders, hazardous materials, and the vehicles in case of an emergency.
If the fire alarm goes off at Gampel, they will head to the stadium with an engine. Not only do station staff need to keep an eye on Gampel, but also on the campus environment.
For regular season game days, the fire department will staff at least five firefighters at the station and five to Gampel.
“We anticipate and plan for the worst, but that is the role of emergency response,” Renshaw said.
On the other hand, several staff in Gampel provide a different kind of defense– against litter.
Before a game, the custodial team will come in one to two hours before doors open to double check the cleanliness of Gampel and prepare it for fans, said James Albuquerque, the Senior Housekeeping Manager for UConn Custodial Services.
During a game, specific roles will take care of areas around Gampel. One person is posted at each of the four larger bathrooms in the stadium. While other staff are assigned to walk the concourse and remove trash. Last, some staff are designated “floaters” who inspect the VIP area, lower level media, and locker room spaces.
However, the heavy duty cleaning gets done after a game. The custodial team may employ up to 20 staff for a post-game clean up. These staff come from UConn or are employed by C&W, a company that works with UConn.
First, the staff will conduct a typical clean which means throwing out trash, cleaning up any major spills, installing more soap or toilet paper in the bathrooms, and cleaning the locker rooms.
Then, staff will go into a deep clean of the stadium which involves scrubbing bathrooms, mopping floors, cleaning the entryway and concourse, and any other surfaces. Staff who are on board for post-game clean up do not leave until the cleaning is finished, Albuquerque said.
The number of staff can vary depending on if any specific needs are required. If a basketball game ends around 9 or 10 p.m., and another event in Gampel is scheduled early the next day, there might be more staff on board, Albuquerque said.
This year, the number of custodial staff did not change with the Final Four and National Championship watch parties.
Last, facilities operations staffs five trade works in case an issue arises. One in plumbing, electrical, HVAC, emergency management system, and one manager from facilities. Like the police and fire department and custodial team, facilities will arrive at Gampel about one hour before the game starts, Bedard said.
Preparation for a basketball game is much like a basketball game itself. Whatever you see on the court, is just a fraction of the training that goes on behind the scenes.
“Games are not just athletic events, they encompass the UConn community,” Renshaw said.
With any luck, the University of Connecticut can bring home another title in 2025. Hopefully then, there will be no broken windows.