BLACKSBURG -- While Virginia will play in a new basketball arena this season, Virginia Tech has the third-oldest arena in the ACC.

Hokies coach Seth Greenberg doesn't mind. He likes playing in Cassell Coliseum, a 9,847-seat arena, which debuted in 1961, because it is a "great home court."

"We have an edge when we're playing in Cassell Coliseum," Greenberg said. "It's a tough place for people to play. It's a great environment and atmosphere to play in. The seats are right on top of you.

"Those shiny new arenas are great, but they don't create the same atmosphere."

That doesn't mean Greenberg is content with his facilities. Tech hopes to build a new practice facility for the men's and women's basketball teams by 2009.

The building would give Tech a "wow factor" to impress recruits, said Greenberg.

"We need a place where we could bring recruits to and it says, 'Virginia Tech is serious about basketball,'" Greenberg said. "We don't need a shiny new coliseum. We need a place that can help us prepare."

The basketball facility, which will not only contain two gyms but also offices, locker rooms and a weight room, would be built next to Cassell. The Board of Visitors will be asked to approve the project in March.

"When we walk a player on campus [for a recruiting visit], they walk through Michael Vick Hall," Greenberg said. "When we recruit people, [it's] football, football, football, football. ... We compete in the best basketball conference in the world. We need to be able to show kids that there's a commitment to basketball."

Currently, the Tech men's and women's basketball teams practice on the Cassell court and in a small, back gym in the coliseum. The volleyball team also uses the Cassell court.

"The back gym is not the answer. ... You can only shoot at two courts that have 3-point lines down," Greenberg said. "Cassell Coliseum, as great a game facility as it is, you basically only have two baskets you can use in practice."

Duke gained a new basketball building in 2000. The building doesn't have a practice gym but has such features as offices, locker rooms and weight room. Duke plans to build another athletic building that would contain a "world class" weight room and video complex for basketball.

Georgia Tech has had a basketball building since 1987. That building doesn't have a practice gym but does have a locker room, offices and weight room.

Clemson gained a basketball facility, which includes a practice gym, in 2002.

Florida State plays in an arena that is only seven years old and also gained a basketball building, which contains practice gyms for the men's and women's teams, in 2002.

Wake Forest has had a basketball building for five years. It contains a practice gym and locker rooms.

Cassell Coliseum did gain some improvements this year. The arena will have new video screens to provide better clarity. And some of the same changes that were made to the east and west concourses in 2002 have now been made to the north and south concourses. Those concourses have gained new concession stands, bathrooms, wood finishes and Hokie stone.