The Road to the Final Four®: NCAA® Court Leaves Connor Sport Court's Amasa, Michigan, Plant on March 21; Bound for Detroit and Championships

Connnor QuickLock portable court was made in company's Amasa, Michigan plant especially for NCAA Final Four in Ford Center. The truck carrying the court will make several stops for interviews and photo opportunities. Will go in place on March 25.

Amasa, Michigan (PRWEB) March 20, 2009 -- The countdown to the National Collegiate Athletic Association®'s Final Four® begins Saturday, March 21, as a semi-truck and trailer carrying the Championship Court leaves Connor Sport Court's Amasa, Michigan, plant on the first leg of its journey to the Men's Basketball Playoffs at Ford Field in Detroit April 4 and 6.

The court was constructed in Amasa, Michigan at Connor Sport Court International's mill. Painting of the surface has been completed, with the NCAA logos shining brightly on the Michigan hardwood maple floor. Connor has been in the court building business for over 100 years.

The court, a QuickLock portable court system, was constructed by Connor especially for the NCAA Final Four. It is built from Michigan maple in strict accordance with NCAA specifications. Connor Sport Court is a member of the Maple Flooring Manufacturing Association and adheres to the stringent environmental guidelines of that organization. Connor also offers wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which identifies products from responsibly-managed forests.

Hardwood used in the courts is from a renewable resource, with the U.S. growing six times more hardwood than is harvested each year, said Ron Cerny, President and CEO of Connor Sport Court. Connor Sport Court International is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT and its hardwood surface sales offices are headed by CSCI Vice President Jon Isaacs in Arlington Heights, IL.

The history of the NCAA basketball playoffs is entwined with the court on which the game is played, and Michigan figures prominently in this history.

Michigan's NCAA basketball history is saluted by the presence of the Connor hardwood court as it makes its way to Ford Field in Detroit aboard a specially-marked semi-tractor trailer truck .

The truck carrying the court hits the road on its five day journey with stops scheduled for St. Ignace (Saturday, March 21, 6 p.m., MI Welcome Center), Saginaw (Saturday, March 22, Temple Theater), Grand Rapids (Monday, March 23, Van Andel Arena), Lansing (Tuesday, March 24, 9 a.m., Capitol), and to University of Michigan, Crisler Arena (Wednesday, March 25, 12:30 p.m.).

At about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25, the court will enter Ford Field in Detroit. The NCAA Championship floor will be put in place in about one day by a skilled Connor Sport Court crew.

Floors from past championships have often been purchased by winning schools, with some being sold as part of the fund raising effort for that college's athletics, said Ron Cerny. He added that CSCI also provides the playing surface for the NCAA Women's Championships, this year scheduled for April 5 and 7 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

About Connor Sport Court International

More athletic events are played on Connor Sport Court surfaces than on any other sports flooring in the world. Connor sports floors have established themselves as the standard for professional and collegiate sports since the company was founded in 1872. Sport Court® is a registered trade mark of Connor Sport Court International. Since 1974, it has identified the original and authentic modular sport surface, continuously improved and patented to provide the highest levels of quality and performance.

For more Sport Court information contact:

Jeff Morton, Marketing Manager, Connor Sport Court

801-712-6411

www.connorsportcourt.com

Michigan Contacts

Kurt Kosmowski, The Kosmowski Group, Inc., Marketing and Public Relations

28 West Adams Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226

Phone 313-964-8888

Cell phone 248-345-4360

Bridget Beckman, MEDC

517-242-8982

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