Final Four star watch

Alright, so the men's basketball team didn't bring home a National Championship. Yeah it stings a little bit, considering I skipped all those classes to cover the team on their journey to Detroit for The Daily Campus.

Sure I'm weeks behind in my English classes, and I don't even want to talk about how unhealthy I've been eating. Let's just say, there is no five-dollar-footlong in Detroit, and never, ever, eat at Crown in Philadelphia. I lost five years of my life eating one of their "grilled chicken" sandwiches.

But all in all, I had a good time traveling to Philadelphia, Glendale and Detroit, even if the men fell two games short.

But despite my disappointment with the NCAA Tournament, I came back to Storrs a changed man.

Throughout the trip, I met several famous athletes, coaches and sports writers who, through my encounters with them, have changed my life. Without further ado, the list of celebrities that made losing to Michigan State not as painful.

Philadelphia

Michael Wilbon, Pardon the Interruption on ESPN -A semi-tall, pudgy bald black man walked by the press row at the Wachovia Center. At first, it seemed too good to be true and in fact the sports editor and I joked about this man being Wilbon. We laughed at the thought and said that this man looked like hell. Then we saw his credentials.

Wilbon also followed us all the way to Glendale, Ariz.

Rick Reilly, ESPN Columnist - As the old saying goes, some have a face for TV, while others have a face for radio. Reilly, is definitely the latter. But don't think I'm bashing the guy, I'm a big fan of his work, even though the recent Hasheem Thabeet article was a little weak. He just looks a lot older in person than he does in his mug shot on ESPN.com. Little did I know, I'd also be seeing more of Reilly in Glendale.

Bill Plashke, Pardon the Interruption on ESPN - For those of you who've seen the show PTI, you all know Plashke is, well, a little annoying. Luckily for me, I didn't come within 15 feet of the guy.

The Liberty Bell - This celebrity was by far, the cutest out of all the celebrities I saw. She was stoic, elegant and commanding, all in one package. And that crack? It was sexy.

Glendale, Ariz.

Reilly, continued - So there I was, walking to the hotel pool when I see Reilly pumping some iron in the hotel gym. Quite frankly, he was putting up some crazy weights. It's no wonder why he doesn't have the prototypical journalist physique (for prototypical journalist physique see Bill Plashke)

So Glendale wasn't as star studded as Philadelphia, but the Huskies had advanced to Mo-Town, and I was excited to see what Detroit had in store for me.

Detroit

Magic Johnson, former NBA All-Star - It was too surreal. Walking in front of me was the legendary Magic Johnson and yet I despised him for wearing the full-blown Michigan State jumpsuit to the Final Four. I mean, talk about being an unbiased observer of the game.

Bill Russell - So the sports editor and I are waiting for the media shuttle back to the hotel outside of Ford Field, when a tall black man with a white goatee walks up next to us. The sports editor looks at me and joking says, "Marc, that's Bill Russell."

I then reply with, "Yo, that is Bill Russell."

Woody Page, Pardon the Interruption on ESPN - Paige was by far the most interesting and most entertaining celebrity that I met out of all my trips. When I first saw him, he was sitting in the press row in front of mine and came rolling in like a straight pimp. No joke. He was wearing this black velvet suit jacket that I think he might have stolen from Hugh Hefner. That was on Saturday.

On Monday, during halftime of the National Championship game, I was walking around a corner, when I almost literally bumped into Paige. He muttered something to the effect of, "How's it going?" and I responded with the most awkward smile I think I've ever put on.

If Paige is as awkward in real life as he is on the show PTI, then maybe he enjoyed the moment.

Kevin Blackistone and Bob Ryan, Pardon the Interruption on ESPN - Seeing these two was good because if I wanted to, I could have put together my own little version of PTI. Blackistone was chill, Ryan was just old.

Michael Jordan, David Robinson and John Stockton, former NBA All-Stars - Yes, you're reading this list correctly. I saw three of the greatest NBA players of all time in one sitting at halftime of the National Championship game.

To be honest, the entire moment was a blur. I remember taking out my camera phone and desperately trying to get a decent picture of the three of them and then I remember blacking out. Ok well, not really. But I do remember walking at an awkwardly fast pace so I could get myself into a line of people that the players were giving high-fives and handshakes to.

And that brings me to the best part of my entire trip. I had the honor of fist-bumping Jordan and Robinson. I still haven't washed my hand.

Detroit-Wayne County Airport

C. Vivian Stringer, Rutgers women's basketball coach - Yeah I saw her in the airport, but after all the other celebrities I saw, she was no big deal. I was just happy that I could pick her out of a random crowd of people.

Bradley International Airport

Hasheem Thabeet, NBA player - Okay, so he's not in the NBA yet, and who knows, hopefully you'll get the chance to mock me when he decides to stay his final year in college like Tyler Hansbrough. I mean, it worked well for him, right?

Anyways, Thabeet wouldn't normally make the celebrity list for me, but it was the sheer fact that when I walked out of the gate and into the terminal, Thabeet was standing over at the help desk, waiting patiently to talk with an airline representative.

The sports editor and I walked over to him and said hi, but the best part of the experience? - The help desk lady giving Thabeet attitude for asking her a fairly simple question.

I guess she was either a Michigan State fan, or just really mad at UConn for losing.