By Malcolm Moran
USA TODAY

INDIANAPOLIS — Last Tuesday, when the outbreak of war in Iraq raised questions over the scheduling of the NCAA basketball tournament, Greg Shaheen, managing director of the championship, was having a telephone conversation with a representative of one of the facilities.

It was then that Shaheen had the odd realization this conversation already had taken place. The first one occurred during a simulation conducted by NCAA officials under the supervision of The Inocon Group, a consultant based in Atlanta and Sydney.

A two-day crisis simulation conducted in February prepared the NCAA leadership for the communication and logistical issues the men's and women's tournaments could face. One of the outgrowths was the creation of a communications center within a conference room at NCAA headquarters here.

One simulation was that the war was starting on the Saturday of the men's Final Four. President Bush was going to address the nation at 4 p.m. and CBS News intended to devote an hour to an analysis of his remarks. The tipoff was scheduled for 5:07 p.m. "This was an extraordinary dress rehearsal for what happened four weeks later," Shaheen said.

Eight television monitors were available against one wall for men's and women's tournament games Sunday afternoon. A large screen at the end of the room displayed four images at once. But the only sound was the latest news from the war, not play-byplay.

The information gained from the consultant provided a framework to be used for all men's and women's championships. Shaheen said the NCAA will consider the possibility of creating a permanent communications room in available space within its headquarters.

When President Reagan was shot on the afternoon of the Indiana-North Carolina championship game in 1981, scattered committee members lost time before they could gather to discuss the situation. Now, Shaheen said, a conference call can be convened within minutes.

"So there's really no down time at all," he said. This year staff members will benefit from having the men's Final Four in New Orleans and the women's event in Atlanta. The Superdome hosted the Super Bowl after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Georgia Dome hosted basketball and
gymnastics at the 1996 Olympic Games.

Shaheen had returned from a briefing in New Orleans on the preparations that led to the Super Bowl in February 2002. "It's fantastic to sit in a room with various agencies and get their experiences on what they did, what worked, what didn't work and how their expertise applies to us," Shaheen said.