CMU Sports Information part of Final Four

Flash bulbs struck Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson as they left the Palace of Auburn Hills floor after one of the biggest wins in Michigan State history.

They entered the tunnel after winning the 2000 NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional, on their way to address the media as a celebratory net still hung around Cleaves’ neck.

And right behind them was CMU Sports Information Director Don Helinski.

Helinski, who now works part-time for Sports Information, has the chance to witness another MSU moment this weekend when he and Assistant SID Rob Wyman travel to Detroit for this weekend’s men’s Final Four.

The pair are two of more than 50 volunteer Sports Information Directors that will help Detroit-Mercy SID Mark Engel manage one of the largest sporting events in the country. Helinski said Engel and his staff have prepared for three years.

“It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Helinski said. “I’m really looking forward to it … It’s just a celebration of college basketball and college athletics in general. Just to be a part of it and be behind the scenes is something to take in.”

Helinski and Wyman are part of an eight-member team that is responsible for compiling and transcribing quotes from players both during pre-game press conferences and after games to give media members options for their coverage.

Helinski has volunteered for five other NCAA Tournaments, including last year’s Midwest Regional finals at Ford Field. Wyman has taken part in one men’s tournament and a women’s tournament.

“We don’t get paid, but we get put up in a hotel and get some of the best seats in the house,” Helinski said.

But despite the perks, Wyman said it’s important to take advantage of the work environment.

“I think it’s kind of like going to a conference,” he said. “It really isn’t a vacation … I see it as a great opportunity to see what happens at these type of major, media events.”

Helinski found out first-hand what an NCAA Tournament berth entails for an SID in 2003, when CMU earned a No. 11 seed in the West Regional. After the team beat Kent State for the Mid-American Conference title, KSU’s SID told him from prior experience that it may get overwhelming.

“A lot of the things he said, I didn’t really believe about all the phone calls and e-mails I’d have waiting for me,” Helinski said.

CMU lost in the second round to Duke after beating Creighton, but Helinski said the experience was unforgettable.

“It was the highlight of my career,” he said.

For Wyman, the weekend is a way to talk with other SIDs and media members about the changes in the media marketplace.

“That’s what I look forward to at something like this,” he said. “You have all these newspapers pretty much collapsing. How are you going to communicate with them? The best publicity is free publicity. That’s why newspapers and Web sites are so important to us.”

Helinski expects a surreal environment when he walks into Ford Field for the second straight year.

“As soon as you walk into the arena, you can kind of hear that CBS tournament music in your head, and you start humming that,” he said. “Just to be a part of it can be sort of an overwhelming experience at times.”

sports@cm-life.com