Related: Pre-game action at Cassell Coliseum
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Game day came on a blustery, cloudy morning yesterday in Blacksburg,. With the clock not even showing noon, Cassell Coliseum is already preparing for an 8 p.m. tip.
Mount St. Mary's men's basketball team stepped off their bus at 10:55 a.m. Monday and walked down the ramp to the floor entrance.
As the Mountaineers warmed up, sports information directors for the two schools chatted as they maneuvered through the corridors on the ground floor. They discussed the pronunciation of player names and the setups of the various media rooms.
They walked past the visiting team locker room, a room numbered simply 217, that contains lockers, folded chairs and a full stock of training supplies.
Virginia Tech radio play-by-play man Bill Roth walked through the curtain after setting up his radio equipment and meeting some of Mount St. Mary's players.
Upstairs, the concourse is silent, but behind the walls, facilities are being prepared for the hustle and bustle of game day.
Facilities workers are stocking soda in a media lounge at 11:15 a.m. while a TV truck is arranging for adequate electric power.
Shoot around for the Hokies begins at 1:30 p.m. and Associate Athletic Director Tom Goddard team said the team gathers for a "hearty" pregame meal at 4 p.m. in the Bowman Room.
Media members are also treated to dinner at 4 p.m. A single worker from Sycamore Deli Catering serves radio and television workers a three course meal of salad, lasagna and pumpkin pie.
Kent Sheets, the facilities manager of Cassell Coliseum, is the busiest man in the building for most of the day.
Sheets can be spotted testing the Public Address system or repairing the façade on the concourse. He is the man who turns on the lights in the morning and the man who cleans the court before game time.
Other Cassell workers don't have to come to work as early as Sheets.
Concession workers and ushers arrive between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Behind the metal window covers, most concession workers are new to the job.
Boston Concessions handles Tech's athletic concessions, but the majority of stands are contracted out to organizations looking to raise funds for a cause.
A concession stand on the West Side of Cassell Coliseum on Monday night was raising money for the Humane Society of Montgomery County. Louanne Thompson regularly runs booths for the group, but her employees vary.
On Monday night, members of the Galileo and Hypatia residence communities were volunteering along with Thompson. Groups that run the stands receive slightly over 10% of the money they take in.
Ushers are in the building, guarding the doors and their respective seating sections, at least two hours before tip-off. Doors typically open an hour and a half before game time.
Ticket takers and section ushers are managed by head usher Richard Johnson.
Johnson has been making his rounds through the Coliseum for over 46 years -- the entire lifespan of Cassell Coliseum.
Cassell officially moves into game form at 6:15 p.m. when women's basketball practice ends.
Following the women's basketball practice, Sheets takes a dry mop to the court and television workers bring out ladders to attach cameras to the backboards.
On Monday, Tech guard Malcolm Delaney took the court for shoot around by 6:20 p.m.
With the doors open at 6:30 p.m. the show begins. Sheets flips the P.A. system on with his remote.
Jeremy Wells, Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Promotions, uses his computer to play music throughout Cassell Coliseum. He said the music is carefully selected to improve the pre-game atmosphere.
"We have a couple different sets of music. One is an easy listening, upbeat type of music for our fans," Wells said. "We also have a separate set of music we use for our players. We make sure it is fan friendly, but it gives them a chance to play something they want to hear and get pumped up for the game."
Following the women's basketball practice, Sheets takes a dry mop to the court and television workers bring out ladders to attach cameras to the backboards.
By 7:00 p.m., the curtain that leads to the court is waving in the breeze of traffic.
The players for both teams fly by on their way to shoot around. Cheerleaders hustle in from outside in warm-up jackets and assemble in the auxiliary gym. Press and television personnel take their spots at courtside desks and fans start filing in.
Members of the pep band have unloaded their instruments from storage space between concession stands and taken their place in the stands.
Half an hour before tip off, on court personnel begin to take their positions.
The men who keep the court dry and the basketballs ready during the game are the most reliable group in the building, Gabbard said.
Those men are members of the Corps of Cadets basketball squad.
"You can count on them. They're always dressed and ready to go," Gabbard said. "Plus, they really understand the game."
Gabbard said they always dress in their uniforms and bring a sense of professionalism. As a thank you, those Cadets working the floor received matching shoes courtesy of the athletic department prior to Monday's game.
Ten minutes before game time, the curtain closes, throwing the Cassell crowd into a frenzied roar.
Behind the curtain stands the Hokie Bird and the Corps of Cadets color guard.
A smoke machine produces additional effect as the Tech basketball team runs out of their locker room, takes a sharp right and charges through that maroon curtain.
After a long day of preparation, the curtain rises and the show begins.
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