You might not be able to catch the March Madness Final Four or Championship in the same room as your friends and family, but you can join them virtually — and chat directly with three basketball stars during the games — using the PlayUp 2.0 app.
The free app is downloadable on iTunes and lets you get virtually in on the action.
Dennis Lee, CEO of PlayUp, told FoxNews.com exclusively that three basketball stars will be available for users to chat with this weekend in the virtual world of the app.
“With the Final Four coming up, we’ll have some NCAA college legends,” he said.
“We’ll have Jay Williams, one of the best college basketball players of all time, we’ll have Al Horford, two-time champion with the Florida Gators, and we’ll also have Brandon Knight, who’s a current rookie with the NBA but had one of the best freshman seasons all around.”
“They’ll be in our app, chatting with fans during the Final Four,” Lee told FoxNews.com.
Fans can meet former Blue Devil superstar Jay Williams during the Ohio State-Kansas game at 8:49 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 31. Williams had one of the most successful careers in college basketball history, helping Duke win a title in 2001 and earn Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2000 and 2002.
The three-time All-American received the Naismith Award and Wooden Award in 2002 for the nation’s best college basketball player. Following his illustrious college career, the Chicago Bulls drafted him 2nd overall in the 2002 NBA Draft.
PlayUp users will have the opportunity to chat with Al Horford and Brandon Knight during the National Championship game on Monday, April 2, at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Horford won back-to-back championships during his time at Florida in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Along with Joakim Noah, Taurean Green, Corey Brewer and Lee Humphrey, Hoford became part of the first starting five ever to repeat as champions. He was drafted 3rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks and is a two-time NBA All-Star.
Brandon Knight led the Wildcats to the SEC Championship title and an appearance in the Final Four in his prolific year at Kentucky, capping off a season in which he led all freshman. He earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors three times and was an All-SEC Freshman Team selection. The Detroit Pistons drafted Knight 8th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft.
The players will each have their own individual room that users can join, but they will also surprise users by popping into other rooms users have created during the games.
The recently launched PlayUp 2.0 allows you to choose your favorite leagues to easily see live scores, stats and hangouts for the sports you care about most.
Other new features include improved navigation and users experience including faster load times, better calendars, and quicker access to live updates.
In addition to an enhanced interface with bigger and brighter graphics, you can view “Live Now” Scoreboards by individual sport via mobile.
The enhanced Facebook and Twitter integration allows you to invite all your friends to share in the action. In addition, you can receive notification alerts when fans add you as a friend or when you are invited to a game.
Version 2.0 also allows you to message easily across multiple rooms with “Recent Hangouts” for the latest action you and your friends have been following.
PlayUp is a great solution for soldiers, airmen, seamen, and other fighters who can’t be in the same family room or ready room as their friends and family — whether it is to catch the March Madness action or any of their other favorite sports.
Ballet dancer turned defense specialist Allison Barrie has travelled around the world covering the military, terrorism, weapons advancements and life on the front line. You can reach her at wargames@foxnews.com or follow her on Twitter @Allison_Barrie
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