BLACKSBURG -- Coleman Collins was on the Cassell Coliseum floor once again, but this time he wasn't playing basketball.

Collins, who just completed his senior season at Virginia Tech, was sitting in a chair, attending a memorial service.

Tech quarterback Sean Glennon sat in another chair on the floor, as carpet covered the court. Other Tech athletes sat in the stands as they watched President Bush and the other speakers Tuesday, one day after the school was the site of the deadliest shooting spree in U.S. history.

Cassell Coliseum is usually a place where people gather to enjoy a game. This time, Tech students hugged each other and wept on the concourse as they waited to take their seats.

"This is a completely different mood," said Ryan Plourde, a Tech student in the Corps of Cadets. "Usually, for basketball games, it's really festive."

Richard Johnson of Blacksburg has been an usher at Tech games for 44 years. This time, he wasn't happy to be at Cassell.

"This is one I wish I weren't working," he said. "The world's crazy."

Robert Krabbendam, who played for the Tech men's basketball team the past three seasons, was among the thousands of students who waited outside Cassell to be let into the building.

"I'm glad we have a chance to get together and think about this thing," he said. "You don't really realize the size of what happened here. I wonder if we ever will. Hopefully there will be a way to deal with it."

Women's soccer player Mauri Liberati made an orange ribbon Monday night and wore it to Tuesday's service.

"I came to be part of the community -- especially being part of the athletic program, [I wanted] to kind of be a representative of that community," she said.

With classes canceled for the rest of the week, Liberati said she considered going home but decided against it. She wants to be with her teammates.

"These guys are my support system," she said.

The convocation took on the feel of a sporting event at the end. There was thunderous applause when Tech professor Nikki Giovanni ended her poem with the line, "We are Virginia Tech." The crowd then repeatedly chanted, "Let's go Hokies."

"That was pretty awesome; definitely an uplifting note," Liberati said. "We can make it through it."

Athletic director Jim Weaver and other athletic administrators, who were busy Monday and Tuesday getting Cassell ready for the event, sat in the same row of the stands as football coach Frank Beamer, men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg and women's basketball coach Beth Dunkenberger.

"It's hard to comprehend," Weaver said of the rampage.

Beamer expects the tragedy will draw the Hokie community closer together.

"We've got to ... show more respect for each other, show more caring for each other," he said. "That's what I think's going to take place."

After consulting with Tech sports psychologist Gary Bennett, Beamer and his assistants decided to cancel Saturday's annual spring intrasquad game at Lane Stadium.

Beamer also canceled practices scheduled for today and Friday. Monday's practice had previously been canceled.

"We're not in season. Out of respect for the people involved, this was the right call," Beamer said. "There's things that's more important than football right now. ... It sets us back a little bit, but it's the right thing to do. ... There's a lot of grieving families.

"This is going to affect everyone at Tech. ... Sometimes those players, they're feeling things."

The game could not be postponed until next week because Saturday is the final day teams are allowed to hold spring practice under NCAA rules.

Glennon said he understood why the game was canceled.

"The spring game is where people are doing a lot of tailgating and partying and drinking, so it's probably the best thing to do," he said.

Tech also canceled today's home baseball game against William and Mary. Weaver said it was "too soon" to play a game.

A three-day home baseball series with Miami will be held as scheduled, beginning Friday. A weekend home softball series with Maryland and a home women's lacrosse game Saturday against Maryland will also take place.

"There's a little difference between conference competition and football, which is practice," Weaver said.

Tech will compete this week in the ACC men's and women's outdoor track championships; the ACC men's and women's tennis tournaments; and the ACC men's golf tournament.

Tech officials were busy Tuesday trying to find black ribbons for all of Tech's spring-sports athletes to wear.

Miami baseball players will wear black armbands during the Tech series, the Associated Press reported.

The Hurricanes will also bring extra security protection to put the UM players' minds at ease, the AP reported.

Staff writer Randy King contributed to this report.