UK, Cal welcome Final Four floor

UK Coach John Calipari officially welcomed the arrival of the 2012 Final Four floor to Rupp Arena on Wednesday.
More than 3,000 square feet of the floor — or about half the court used in the Mercedes Benz Superdome last spring — will be used in revamping of UK’s locker room in Rupp Arena. The center circle will be installed in a new circular locker room area. A free throw lane will be placed in the entrance to the locker room area.
About half of the floor will be divided into pieces that will be auctioned on the Internet as a fund-raising effort for pediatric cancer research. As part of the fund-raiser, Calipari will sign hundreds of pieces of the court.
Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual insurance company bought the floor and donated it to UK.
More details on the auction will be available in a few weeks, said Dan Rivers of Northwestern Mutual. Rivers said the auction could raise as much as $1 million.
The court officially arrived in Rupp Arena to begin a 10 a.m. news conference Wednesday.
Rivers saluted Calipari’s “marketing prowess” as an inspiration for  the auction/fund-raiser and use of the floor in the new locker room.
Calipari downplayed the floor’s presence being a motivational tool for players. Each team has its own motivations, he said.
But the UK coach noted how the floor can be an eye-catching part of the program’s recruiting effort.