The crowd of women’s basketball fans cheered a highlight video of Baylor’s 38-0 season played on a giant screen Friday night inside the Buell Theatre, their applause reaching a climax when, on screen, Baylor star Brittney Griner finished a slam dunk.
Griner, sitting in the third row of the auditorium, ducked her head in embarrassment.
Griner had better get used to the attention here in Denver, as the Women’s Final Four events kicked off with the Salute Mile High Magic program.
Players from Baylor, Connecticut, Stanford and Notre Dame swapped their uniforms and high tops for dresses and high heels, walked the red carpet, were introduced on stage and interviewed by ESPN broadcaster Sage Steele.
Fans were entertained by the wacky Stanford pep band before the show, and by a dance performance by Denver-based youth dance troupe Rocky Mountain Silhouettes inside the Buell.
It was certainly a time to celebrate the accomplishment of reaching the Final Four, but for the coaches and players, it was clear the focus is still basketball.
“Someone has to wear the target, so we’ll embrace it,” said Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, whose team is the No. 1 overall seed and plays Stanford in the second semifinal game Sunday night.
The winner of that game will play the winner of the other semifinal, between Big East rivals Connecticut and Notre Dame. It was a rare thing for Connecticut to arrive in Denver for the Final Four not as the tournament favorites, not that coach Geno Auriemma is considering his team an underdog.
“When people talk about a rebuilding year, that’s not giving the players you’ve got enough credit,” Auriemma said. “The fact of being Connecticut is there is no sneaking up on anybody, no underdogs and no rebuilding.”
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
This story has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, the woman in the photo with this story was incorrectly identified. She is Joslyn Tinkle of Stanford.
