In the newly built basketball facility, men’s basketball head coach Seth Greenberg is busy game planning for the Hokies’ final regular season game against Georgia Tech.
Greenberg was a collegiate athlete for four years at Fairleigh Dickinson and has been in a head coaching position for 20 years. He is in his seventh season coaching at Virginia Tech.
The Hokies’ vocal head coach took a quick break from his game planning to sit down with the Collegiate Times.
COLLEGIATE TIMES: Wednesday was senior night for the team and it celebrated with a win over NC State. What is it like every year to lose seniors with whom you have spent so much time?
SETH GREENBERG: It’s emotional. I’m an emotional coach. I love my players. It’s a culmination of four years of hard work and growth of a relationship. To see Lewis and Paul, and especially Lewis who has been with us for four years, and see him grow and mature, not just in basketball, but as a person, and to see him have such a special night. I’m so happy for him.
CT: During the NC State game, you actually had to pump the crowd up. How weird was it for you to actually have to get Hokie fans loud for a change?
GREENBERG: I do that, I don’t know. I have these out-of-body experiences every once in a while. I just want to try and get them involved in the game and get them to take ownership in the game. I know our players feed off of that and it’s just something every once in a while that I seem to do, and most times they respond pretty favorably.
CT: 85 percent of Tech’s points were split up among three players Wednesday night. Does it bother you that a few players make up so many of Tech’s points?
GREENBERG: That was just one game; we had five guys in double figures against Maryland. It was just one of those games where we were extremely unselfish but certain guys were getting shots and knocking them down. We continued to go back to some hot hands and that was just that situation, but we’ve had pretty good balance overall.
CT: The team played almost flawlessly at home this season. How much of a difference does a friendly crowd make in big games?
GREENBERG: It’s huge. Our home court, Cassell Coliseum, is one of the best home courts in all of the ACC and maybe in the country. The ownership our fans have in our program and the energy they create, they keep us engaged. Cassell Coliseum is a great home court and a huge advantage to our program.
CT: Many of the ESPN’s “bracketologists” are currently saying Virginia Tech is a bubble team for the NCAA tournament. What do you think the team has done to earn a spot in the big dance?
GREENBERG: We just have to win our next game. We are 22-7 and 9-7 in the ACC. We’ve got only one loss at home, won games on the road, and we have a chance to finish fourth in the ACC. We can’t get caught up. Bracketology is great because it creates interest and sells sponsors, but we have to get caught up in how we are going to beat Georgia Tech.
CT: You recently stated that you would be in favor of a 96-team NCAA Tournament. Can you explain why you would think an expansion would be better?
GREENBERG: There might not be many great teams, but there are so many good teams. To give these student athletes an opportunity to have that experience — you talk about student athlete welfare — I think it makes sense. Look at the percentage of teams that play Division I basketball in relation to the percentage of teams that get a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. It’s out of whack. I just think it would be better for the young people.
CT: After the game, you said you would see (the media) at the ACC Tournament. In your opinion, will we be seeing the Hokies at the NCAA Tournament?
GREENBERG: That’s our goal. That was our goal at the start of the season and coming into the last game of the season we continue to work towards that goal.