If you went downtown a few weekends ago for the Big 12 Basketball Tournaments, you probably saw (or at least heard about) the new College Basketball Experience (CBE). CBE is located at the Sprint Center, 1401 Grand, Kansas City. It is part museum – home to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame – and part interactive fun.
The CBE’s interactive exhibits include a full basketball court with six goals as well as a 3-on-3 court, both open for play at all times. If you aren’t up for a full game, there is a rebounding game, a passing challenge, a slam dunk area with adjustable rims and a three-point shooting area. A beat the clock game and a free throw station both are complete with audio and video of crowd noise. The ESPNU Media Lounge shows college basketball on big screens and – most fun of all – lets kids “call” the highlights of the game off of a teleprompter and then watch their own recorded sportscast played back to them. The younger crowd will enjoy the “pop-a-shot” and Kids’ Court, where the goals are placed a bit lower than usual for those under nine years old.
The Hall of Fame is no normal museum either. It honors the legendary players and coaches of college basketball through exhibits that include video and digital graphics. One really cool display shows the “Coaching Tree”, describing the lineage of today’s college basketball coaches in graphics.
The College Basketball Experience is open Wednesdays through Sundays until 6:00 p.m. Tickets are free for kids 5 and under; $7.00 for kids 6-17 and $10.00 for adults. This might be just the new idea you and your kids have been looking for!
