With all this talk of a new indoor practice facility, am I the only one who thinks Cassell needs to be badly renovated? And not just a fresh coat of paint.. I think we practically need a new arena. Thoughts?
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
While we do need a new arena, BBALL will always be a number two to football, being that that is the sport that is bringing the most money into tech athletics
a lot of people i know who root for other acc schools and have made the trip to cassell have said the same thing to me. you walk past lane and it's beautiful, then you walk into the cassel and it's kinda meh. i think if the funding were there we should do what gt did with a complete renovation/update. (get on it babcock! haha)
a heel i know put it best when he said, 'it's a home court advantage, it's not a recruiting advantage.'
Some major upgrades have happened at the Cassel in the last 10-12 years believe it or not ... but its still pretty 'blah'. Although, it does sorta have its own charm in that way. The wood seats are sorta classic, and fairly new, but I still think the seats should be replaced along with the maroon old school pipe railings.
A decent facelift is all it really needs. what would help out most is more fans in the seats- so we dont notice them... GO HOKIES!!!!
The wood seats aren't even new. They were going to replace them, but when they scraped away the paint that was on there, they liked the original wood color so much they kept it.
The impression I get from some of the administrators is that they love the feel of Cassell and have no serious plans to replace it anytime soon. At most you will see some renovations in the near future to include box seats, relocation of ADA seating, new lighting (which is happening within the next two years), and a new sound system if they can ever figure out the weight load the roof can handle.
How exactly does one "figure out the weight load the roof can handle"? Do they send a bunch of engineers up there with calipers, material property tables, and some FEA software? Trial and error?
I think we can rule out trial and error... with the roof of a building you only get one "error" and that error goes like this: "Oh, sh*t"
Well... yeah. I guess the sarcastica wasn't showing well enough on that part.
My point is, what is there to figure out? I remember that at one point someone said that nobody could go up there because there's no railings, and we can't figure out what the load is because nobody can go up there. Why is that the case? I'm sure the blueprints are somewhere in the AD's office, including all the data we would ever need to calculate any piece of information required to figure out what can go on the roof and where.
Well therein lies the problem. They don't know how much it can support and they can't get up there to figure out how much it can support. So they can't just guess and throw stuff up there, so until they find a way to get an OSHA approved method of getting on the roof and figuring out how structurally sound it is to hold however much weight, then there isn't going to be anything done to the sound system. I'm not an engineer so I don't know all the technicalities of it, just that it's a giant mess and it's not something IMG wants to throw money at until it is figured out.
let's be careful about what we wish for.... this could possibly happen...
or even this...
If I ever become a father, I will totally be Calvin's dad.
That's pretty funny. I hope whoever your mrs is won't be that annoying of a bitch (no offense to lady Hokies on here).
Calvin & Hobbs Upvote! I've tried to pattern my parenting strategy after Calvin's dad.....because therapists need jobs too.
Well therein lies the problem. We have no way of effectively testing how much the roof can handle, which puts a HUGE limitation on any kind of improvement we can expect to sound and lighting in the building. We just can't add any extra weight cause we don't know if it'll cause the roof to collapse.
Long-term, this is a problem that needs to be addressed to the point where I really do think the next round we'll be looking at a replacement or complete overhaul of Cassell, including a complete reingineering of the structure to expand the concourses, add in more concessions, add in a team store, add in a walk-through of VT basketball history with exhibits, add in private suites for high dollar donors, an overhaul of the bowl to create an all purpose arena, which allows for student risers to ring the court when configured for basketball, and to put a new load-bearing roof on the structure to make the venue more attractive for concerts and other attractions (WWE, monster truck rallies, rodeos, etc... you know, to pull in the local population during times when school isn't in session) to generate more revenue. Cassell is a basketball-only venue right now that isn't used outside of VT sports. Its a massively wasted money making opportunity.
I think that the loads could be pretty accurately simulated with the dynamic modeling and simulation tools available these days. I'm sure a pretty good, and conservative, estimate could be done which you could leverage for solution designs.
Certainly you want to be able to test the premises and results of the model, and that could potentially be a bit pricey, but some out of the box thinking could solve that. I refuse to throw an idea out that hasn't been thoroughly vetted.
Also, with the technology in lighting and sound systems these days I would imagine some pretty light weight solutions exist.
I think solutions for that exists for Cassell.
Easy solution - Have David Wilson run up the side with a ruler and calculator.
weird...I was just about to post the very same idea!
I think the whole seating area needs to be torn out. drop capacity down to ~8k in order to put in some club/box type seats, make all seats more modern, etc. i would also move the player benches across the court and make the first 10 rows across the court form the cameras the part of the Cassell Guard section.
i'm anti-replacing Cassell until it's capacity is the concern. i don't think we will ever be at a point where we need 12k+ seats simply because so many games are on weeknights and we are so far away from our alumni bases.
I like the move of Cassell Guard idea although I'll doubt it will happen cause then the general public can't see without standing up. It looks cool in other CBB arenas though. I for one like Cassell, the "old" feeling works for me. However, I think this is what people think of when they say we need a new arena, not capacity issues. Because we certainly don't have those. I liken it to UMD moving out of Cole Field House into Comcast Center. Yes its bigger, but more than that its sleek and modern
some good thoughts here. I like the idea of reducing capacity and installing better seats and more revenue producing boxes.
I like the fundamentals of Cassell, it's unique. Steep sides, can really feel intimidating when we don't suck and when fans come to the games. I would like to focus on that, making it as intimidating of a place to play as we can, which requires moving the students closer and more visible.
Wrapped around video band above seating... even possible?
To even discuss replacing Cassell, basketball will need to start bringing in some serious revenue. A change of the pricing models for tickets, a change in the approach of the program to get fans excited, and a more competitive team are all a part of that. I agree with several of the posters here, that until the capacity is the issue, than its not an issue. (A side note to that, if they were to dual purpose the Arena, as UVA, George Mason and several other area schools do with bringing in concerts and other big shows to boost revenue than I would be more willing to listen) Right now the building is used about 70 days a year between basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and other special events. Find a way to boost that to 120 a year, than a new arena might be in order.
That said, there are quite a few aspects that could receive major renovations without replacing the building that could drastically improve a game day experience. I haven't seen it done if it is, but Phone orders for concessions, better seats at least in the lower areas, complete overhaul of the entrances and outside ring. Even the restrooms could use some modernization.
I really like the uniqueness of Cassell, so I'd be disappointed to see it replaced. I'll definitely agree with some big facelifts though. A lot of broken seats, a lot of empty seats, a lot of chipped paint. Wouldn't be opposed to taking out the seating in the upper corners in favor of some boxes. Exterior could use some more Hokie Stone and a fresh coat of paint. Maybe an extension and renovation of the ticket lobby. Gotta fix the revenue first.
And while we're at it, upgrade the product
I thought they just added the big fan on the ceiling a few years back didn't they? What more could you possibly want?
Two "Big Ass Fans"
That is what they are called...really...
http://www.bigassfans.com/
The ones in Cassell actually have the company name on them, unlike all the pictures on their website. I took a picture of it last season, I'll try to go find it and post it.
I would always drive past their factory on the way to UK games in Lexington KY. This is actually on the outside, right on a main road into downtown and campus
Hey, gotta give it to them, makes for great marketing. We're talking about it so something worked! Plus it's just fun to say big ass fans and have it be technically correct.
yeah when they installed one at our work everybody got a big kick out of it.
I think the best idea is to build an actual moat around the stadium with a drawbridge that lets you get across only if you have Tech colors on.
But how can you tell when you are playing UVA and you schedule Orange Effect night with no noticeable Maroon necessary?
#allmarooneverything
I'm just glad UVA didn't completely ruin it for us by wearing Orange last night like Miami did with their black uniforms on Blackout night. We'll figure out how these effect games work someday.
Have an Indiana Jones-type challenge with a bunch of chalices filled with either wine or bourbon. If they choose the wine, escort them to the dungeons.
Once they reach the dungeon, do they go through another challenge table of cake or pie?
Even pie can't save uva fans.
True, and I'm not real comfortable with the idea of perfectly good pie being wasted in the dungeons. As they say here in France, "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" (Let them eat cake).
Shouldn't that be for if you pass the first challenge? If you pick bourbon then you also have to pick pie to get through.
No blue in anything except pants (or skirts).
I don't think it needs to be replaced, but some more Hokiestone would look good outside. Maybe even some burrus-style towers on either side of the main entrance. (like they did with the west side of lane).
Then a refresh of the seating bowl that creates a lower courtside tier for students, set low enough that if they stand the whole game the crowd behind them can see while seated. Only needs to be 10-15 rows, and can even be limited to one half of the court (wrapping around the home baseline)
Cassell will need to be either completely overhauled or we'll need a brand new arena within the next 20 years, which means we're probably 10 years away from seriously beginning to make a fundraising push to get the funding to do it. With Babcock coming in, I have no doubt we'll be able to do it, and do it rather easily. Yes, I know basketball is secondary to football at Tech, but in terms of keeping respect among the other Athletic Directors and Presidents as well as Commissioner withing the ACC, you MUST keep your basketball program and facilities up to the standards the rest of the conference has set. That is not an exaggeration, this is something that MUST be done. Our practice facility is awesome, and a massive upgrade over what we already have, but it only brought us up to the ACC standards. Cassell right now, sad to say, is not up to the ACC standards from the venues I have visited (Smith Center, PNC Arena, Cameron, Littlejohn, and the Greensboro Coliseum) since we have been in the conference, and the gap is only widening.
Ideally, I'd love to rebuild a new arena where Cassell is now, but that might not be financially better off than just starting from scratch in the parking lot adjacent to it. It needs to be a multi-purpose venue with the option to expand for the future should we deem it necessary. 8,000-10,000 capacity, with the first 5 rows ringing the court lowered from the bowl to allow students to stand all game without impeding the vision of the donors. Have suites ringing the top of the bowl for the high profile donors. Allow the student risers to be removed to accommodate hockey, with the assumption we could expand into that varsity sport within the next 20-30 years. Also have it configurable to allow for concerts to attract students from not only Tech, but also Radford, Roanoke, etc (which alone could necessitate an arena of 10k). And more importantly, make the thing look GOOD. Hokie Stone exterior. I repeat, Hokie freakin Stone exterior. Bugs me to no end that Cassell is a concrete structure with no HokieStone on the exterior. It needs to be fixed!
Hokie hockey is a must. I would have gone to every game if they were in Blacksburg
Great point on Hockey, completely forgot that those guys still drag themselves all the way to Roanoke to play their games. Even from a club sport perspective, it could be an even cost draw if they were able to accommodate it in a new arena. Having the Cassel Castle would be good with Hokie Stone used to frame the arena and its integration with the rest of campus....even the Corps of Cadets are going Hokie Stone with their new dorms that are replacing Brodie and Rasche. They are supposedly going to use bricks from the two buildings to replace the concrete VT walkway in the middle of the Corps quad so that it really stands out from the rest of the campus walkways.
That is a very cool way to include in the future the history of that part of campus. Thanks for sharing that.
They are also designating Lane Hall a National Registry of Historic Sites building and doing a major renovation, so it will stay the red brick that the campus started as back in 1872. It will become the location for all the Corps offices, ROTC offices and classrooms and the future home of the Corps of Cadets museum, currently housed at the Library since Rasche Hall was torn down.
http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2013/03/032913-vpas-upperquad.html for those interested in more of the details.
That leaves Cassell and the Squires Student Center as the two major distractions from the Hokie Stone theme.
Also Randolph (where I am now), Whittemore, Litton Reaves, Wallace and the GLC are all difference colors of brick.
Ugh...Randolph.
Also Major Williams, Femoyer, Cowgill, and Derring. I think that's all of them...
Squires?
Squires was already mentioned and as mentioned below, I did forget Hillcrest.
Hillcrest, don't forget Hillcrest hall which I believe is the only non-cadet brick dorm.
How about Donaldson Brown Graduate housing and administration. (Across from Squires Student Center)
The GLC was mentioned already but leg for using the full name. Welcome aboard
Curry-Coles Coliseum (assuming we can get them both to pitch in a sizable donation). maybe the grandkids will want to play in the arena named after their granddad someday :)
Could name the court Cassell Court to pay homage to the past.
I highly doubt that we'll be moving our club hockey team to the NCAA any time soon. We would be only the 3rd ACC school to have a varsity hockey team, after BC and Notre Dame, and we would be one of the southern-most schools in NCAA D-1 (the only school I can find south of Blacksburg is in Huntsville, AL). As it is, we have only recently made the AHCA Division 2 tournament. And our athletics department doesn't do anything to help out the club sports, so the idea of them playing on campus is a pipe dream at this point.
Well.... yeah, not RIGHT NOW. I'm talking 20-25 years down the line, long after the 'don't support club teams' era of Jim Weaver has fallen to the depths of our memories.
Varsity hockey for VT is an untapped resource. We already have a good history of putting up strong teams in the club level. Continue that momentum and turn it varsity. Sure, we could suck for a while, but it presents another revenue generating sport that people would pay to attend in the new arena. It would help offset the cost of building or renovating Cassell much quicker. That alone is worth exploring the idea.
I think it would be very difficult to justify the cost of a new arena with the current number of empty seats I see at every home game. Besides Cassell has a lot of history, especially in the late 70's and early 80's when B-ball was the knig in Blacksburg. Remodel yes, rebuild no!
I remember those days.
The 3OT win over Louisville when Calvin Oldham tipped that ball in was classic. The place exploded.
The 20 point win over Memphis State University (that was their name back then) the day - THE DAY - they were ranked #1 was awesome.
I saw both of those games. Blacksburg partied hard those nights.
The place can explode even in years we are terrible.
One of the wildest nights I've ever experienced in Cassell was the 2003 UVa game. Even while UVa was unranked, we beat em by 18 in Cassell and the place was nuts throughout. One of the most nutty moments I experienced at Tech was the Coleman Collins tip in at the buzzer in the 2004 game against Rutgers to send us to MSG for the Big East Tourney. Those were seasons we were truly bad, but the team showed some promise and the fans responded. Those moments were every bit as wild as the 2007 game against #1 UNC when we absolutely pantsed them before Seth called off the dogs.
Cassell will fill up. Just give the fans a reason. Nobody is going to show up to watch a program that has stagnated or is truly awful with little signs of hope. We don't have to fill up a 14k seat arena every night right away, but give the fans hope, and they will show up. We'll fill a 14k arena for the big games if there is a buzz about the program, and if you haven't noticed, its becoming pretty standard to have big name opponents in Cassell twice a month in the ACC. No, we're not going to be UNC, but really, if you think big picture, settling for an arena of 8k-10k might actually be a bit short sighted.
Agreed. We also don't have the local population to regularly fill a larger stadium. I'm fine with a place where every seat has a decent view of the action. Cassell just needs some modern touches.
I think we should put a basketball team in Cassell before getting rid of it personally.
I would start with...
There, the atmosphere is already better.
Your Item 1.
That's how it was back in the late 70s and early 80s.
First the team needs to be improved, then Cassel.
idea: sell old seats to generate $ for new seats.
Have a minimal down payment to make affordable for everyone.
Even students could get tickets to sit in 'their' seats until there's enough
sold to replace them. that an THREE Big Ass Fans!!!! GO HOKIES!
+1 for 3 BAFs!!
I forget, what movie was this from again?
12 Monkeys
Thx
No need to build a bigger areana. Why have more seats when you can't fill what we have (and even during the inagural season in the ACC you could still walk up and grab a seat the day of the game pretty easy).
People act like building a new arena is cheap. It's a massive undertaking. I'd rather they keep making upgrades to Lane, including making the Endzone an entire bowl.
I do love that our only ACC wins have come agianst Miami. That makes me smile.
Only way I go for it would be if they build something capable of holding bigger events, hosting the Ringley Brothers circus, big name concerts, Monster Truck shows, Monster Energy X Games events, Ice capades, hockey and other events that will bring in capacity seating but requires a larger footprint to host. Add 50-100 useable event days a year for the facility while still bringing in revenue not just to campus but to all the other establishments in town, hotels, restaraunts, etc. It would give Tech larger exposure for the area in general.
Where would this arena be? It can't be at the site of the old Cassell. I don't see the space, or parking spots for events (unless they take the cage for events). Would be interesting though.
They could probably keep the Arena in the same general location. You would lose the extended white arches from the old Cassell and connect the new facility directly to the Basketball practice facility and the Merriman Athletic Facility and if they take a page from Mason, they could build an adjoining parking garage that is attached to the practice facility at four levels which could likely hold at least 200 cars a level, so 800 cars at full capacity. Looking at Google Maps, Cassell is currently about 200 feet wide and 400 feet long. The space there, taking into account sidewalks etc, could probably accomadate expanding to almost 600 feet wide assuming you are connecting it to the practice facility. The length likely wouldn't be able to change much, so the design would probably turn the court from its current position on a 90 degree turn so that it runs parallel to Washington Street. I know this is simplistic but its what I can see from here. This wouldn't encroach on the New Indoor Football Facility/practice field behind Cassell either and if done correctly could even be designed to be all one large facility to maximize office spaces, tutoring areas, classrooms etc for the athletic department.
You would lose the tennis courts that are currently there but you wouldn't encroach on the woods behind all of the facilities either which has been one of the challenges to the Indoor Practice Facility. The other parking lots wouldn't necessarily have to change over to garages at this point but it might be something down the line. I know that's not as popular for tailgating for football but with how the school has put the facilities in, it might be a reality at some point. One last thing for parking, and the football practice facility would be to take a page from the Arizona Cardinals on how they can move their football field, and on game days park on the field area because the field moved inside, engineer something similar where the indoor area is astrograss and the outdoor area is grass on a sliding track that could be brought inside the practice facility in winter, keeps the grass growing and gives you another parking lot for the basketball arena.
Another option that might be considered but would take more work to integrate all its functions is to demolish Squires Student Center and the other smaller brick buildings and build it on that site. Biggest concern there would be the width of the facility and scheduling with the new Performing Arts center for parking utilization. I know closing the Alumni Mall road might not be popular but it might also be something to consider if this project were undertaken. You could integrate the basketball arena directly to the heart of downtown Blacksburg at this point but the parking/traffic would be the challenge.
The current plan is for Squires to be turned over to the Music Department since they currently use about 80% of it an to build a nw Student Center closer to the residential side of campus, potentially on Dietrick Lawn between East AJ and Pritchard.
I think that's ridiculous. What about the auditoriums and gymnasiums that they hold dances, and job fairs in?
Those would all still be available, but it would no longer be the Student Services building. All of those offices and the bowing alley would be removed from what I understand. Granted thse were plans that I heard about 3 years ago so things could have changed now that the Center for the Arts is constructed.
Last year there was a student forum about the possible placements for the new student center. It will most likely be placed on the quad between AJ and Pritchard (across the street from Cassell). Squires would turn into a multipurpose building.
Dual Purpose > Basketball > Music Department....as we have said, right now Cassell only gets used 70 days a year roughly, so any additional facilities incorporated into a Squires tear down could take into account the need for sound rooms, and the other needs of the music department in that size space. Ideally a build like this would also allow for retail space along the street area's similar to Verizon having Green Turtle open from the street than straight into the facility.
You can always go deeper too so that those spaces were available regardless of games going on.
Due to the grade of the East Stands, the endzones can never and will never be a bowl. The only way to do that would be to tear down all of East Stands, kick the bees nest regarding Stadium Woods, and rebuild it all. That's not going to be cheaper than building a new Cassell.
Good points. Did not know the engineering behind it.
I have a strong dislike of Cassell for a totally different reason.
Back when I was a student (mid-80s timeframe) I was on the Concert Committee. Our primary activity was finding, selecting and offering bands to do concerts at VT. We lost out on the majority of the big opportunities due to the inadequacy of Cassell.
If you've ever looked at the Cassell ceiling you'll notice it's constructed from laminated wood arches. That renders it useless for flying lights and sound - for that you need a steel truss roof. So any promoter who wanted to do a show in Cassell would essentially have to provide a free-standing steel truss system (aka ground support) to provide lights and sound. Since nearby Roanoke Coliseum had the appropriate roof, most of the time promoters simply selected Roanoke instead (or bypassed the area altogether).
Off the top of my head, we were dissed by Eric Clapton, John Cougar Mellencamp, Dire Straits, and a host of smaller touring bands. By default, the ideal VT venue became Burruss Hall Auditorium, which seated 3000 and had the proper ceiling structure. It limited the type of acts we could promote, but it was what it was.
YES
This is what gets me so much when people say that we don't need to replace Cassell and we should shrink capacity. The replacement should be about more than just basketball. Think big picture. If you make this place a palace (I mean come on... ACC basketball... no excuse to why a new arena SHOULDN'T be a palace) you will be able to use the venue year round. An all-purpose arena that can handle basketball, hockey, volleyball, and wrestling would be awesome. But even more than that, make it nice enough, and suddenly Cassell becomes THE premier venue for concerts and the like for the New River Valley, which would not only include Roanoke, but also schools like Radford, Liberty, etc. Its a huge untapped pool just begging for us to take advantage of.
Id imagine with the engineers at Tech something could be done for that relatively inexpensively. If having bands generates alot of $ (does it?) then Im suprised that this hasnt been resolved by now. I bet Mellencamp would love to play there now with a bluetooth speaker and some rope lights.
You might be onto something there:
http://www.mellencamp.com/tourarchive.html
No current dates, three performances in 2013, 22 in 2012 (all in CANADIA)
He might even be willing to forego the rope lights.
"How exactly does one "figure out the weight load the roof can handle"? Do they send a bunch of engineers up there with calipers, material property tables, and some FEA software? Trial and error?"........I can't believe that nobody came up with the solution to figure out the weight load the roof can handle. It's a bird, it's a plane, it's David Wilson! Hasn't he been up there already?
I went up on that roof many years ago. There are ways to analyze it if you know the construction materials and age and condition of the structure. Because natural materials have more variability you have to be more conservative on your estimates. I think the nominal capacity is probably known. It would require money to investigate and fine tune the analysis and it might not gain you anything.
Engineers should have calculated that when building it. It is somewhere in storage. Just has to be found
But you have to know the current condition of the materials and calculate its rate of deterioration in order to get current load ability and projected load capability as it deteriorates.
All this talk about big ass fans... and here I thought we'd never want to emulate NC State.
I like the staff memeber trying to get the guy to let loose of the flag pole.
That is disturbing...OK, It's NCSU...
BUT, If a win like that happened in Lane Stadium over FSU with that ranking, I'd probably be calling all BAFs down to do that! It would be sweet!!!
I had a course long, long ago in another galaxy, called "wood structures" or something like that. Since I walked out the door I have never thought of it or the content we covered. Now I vaguely recall, my professor, who himself was from another place from even longer ago, talking about the Cassell support structure. He was already old and as proof of that talked of himself working with Frank Lloyd Wright as a young man. Though he'd be about 100 now, I'd look for some of these guys who might still be around from the 60's who worked on that project. They might have some clues.
Part of the issue is the glulam composite beams can probably take the weight of speakers, but they probably also want to add walkways, lighting, etc. Also the beams are angled not straight across making construction of any type of supports more complex.
Honest question, if they wanted to build a new arena on the Cassell site, could they begin demo in March (not this year, just some hypothetical year in the near future), have the teams play in Roanoke for 1 season, and have a new arena ready by November the following year? is a 18-20 month schedule possible? i don't know how long an arena build would take, or how long the demo/site cleanup/prep would be. i'd hate to see the arena moved as i think Cassell is in a perfect spot. ideally the new arena would be built to tie into the bball practice facility and link everything together, but you wouldn't want to spend more than one season playing off campus, either...
There are also a lot of offices in Cassell that would have to be relocated. I think rehab is a much better solution than replacement.
Having grown up on tobacco road the big difference is not facility its tradition... cameron, reynolds, and carmichael are no different than cassell in construction. The dean dome was the first upgrade and that was on the heels of a hall of fame coach and an incredibly successful team. RBC center only made it becuase of the Carolina Hurricanes coming to town otherwise they would still be getting funding together. And the purity of Cameron remains in its little to no AC or BAFs, old scoreboard, and musty glory. Also Cassell upon joining the ACC became a very hot ticket in bburg and I witnessed basketball on par with what I grew up with. Lets make the renovations to keep the ammenities modern for the players and refurbish systems for better audio/visual experience but I for one don't want some huge stadium that never captures the essence of college basketball in the acc was and forever should be.
#teamwoodseats
I call a full on bull about Cameron.
Yes, it has an old looking scoreboard (which has undergone massive renovations, by the way, to install 4 HD video boards as well as updated lighting) but the rest of the place is a palace. Yes, the concourses on the ends, specifically the end opposite the main entrance, is small, but they compensate for that by completely opening it up on the sides with expanded what practically amounts to a Duke Basketball museum. There is an expanded Hall of Fame on one side and a museum on the other, and both are made to look pristine. Inside the venue... Sure, its cramped, but you can tell they have absolutely poured money into the place. The brass railings are refinished every season, and polished before every game. The woodwork around the court is a great touch. Everywhere you go int the concourse you are reminded by Duke basketball history. Rarely do you see an empty wall, with there being numerous cutouts of displays with various memorabilia of their past. All around, its might be a smallish venue (with a capacity of 9.3k... less than 1k less than Cassell), but Duke has done the little things to perfection to make it a college basketball palace.
If you want a comparison, the Smith Center is actually a bit of a dump. For a school with a rich tradition in basketball such as UNC, I was kind of surprised just how run down the building feels when you go inside. With that said, they still pack in 20k per game, so that alone puts it over the top of Cassell. Reynolds might be a better comparison (even with it being larger) but NC State doesn't use it for men's games anymore. You are right that the PNC Arena is only there because of the Canes (and the updates are only because of the NHL as well) but I am still not willing to compare Cassell to NC State, because the closest competition venue-wise isn't even their main showcase arena anymore.
1