The $30 million renovation of Thompson-Boling Arena will be a slam dunk for Tennessee's men's and women's basketball program according to athletic director Mike Hamilton.

"We want to make certain our fans, students, recruits and coaches realize there's a very strong commitment to basketball success at the University of Tennessee,'' Hamilton said. "This is a great building, and we're trying to make it even more so over the next 24 months.

"As we enter our 20th year at the arena, we want to make sure we're properly positioned for the next 20 years. This will have a huge impact and will breathe fresh air into our basketball programs. ''

Hamilton released complete details of Phase One of the project to the News Sentinel on Thursday. The activity, already underway and targeted for completion by Oct. 15, 2007, includes the $15 million Pratt Pavilion practice facility and another $13 to $14 million in arena improvements and additions.

The most obvious change, replacing the facility's orange seats with black seats, has already touched off debate on talk shows and Internet chat boards.

Hamilton said the seat change is an "add alternate'' meaning the seats will be changed out if there's enough money left in the Phase One budget after numerous other updates and changes.

But it's difficult to imagine UT investing tens of millions of dollars into the arena and not changing out 20-year old seats, especially when Hamilton said arenas typically swap out seats every 10 to 15 years.

"If we're able to do it within our budget, they (seats) absolutely will be black,'' Hamilton said. "Our teams will always wear orange, and there will be plenty of orange in the arena. Our court is orange, and the fans in the seats will be wearing orange.

"We're competing for recruits against people across the country, and in the newer arenas you're seeing tones that are darker. What we're trying to do is focus the attention where it should be focused, on the student-athletes on the floor.''

Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt discussed the arena renovation with Hamilton, and said she trusts the research the athletic administration has done on the pending project.

"I told him (Hamilton) how I feel about it, but I also understand it's their call,'' Summitt said. "I truly hope it has an impact on highlighting the game.''

Summitt, while supporting the powers that be, admits she's partial to orange.

"I'd like for it to be orange (seating),'' Summitt said. "When you walk into that building, I think the orange is intimidating.''

Tennessee men's freshman Duke Crews said the artist rendition of the pending changes to the arena is also intimidating and inviting.

"You're coming to a black hole to play against (men's coach) Bruce Pearl and the Vols, that's intimidating,'' said Crews, who chose UT over Georgetown, North Carolina and Wake Forest. "If I would have seen this (picture), I wouldn't have even taken my last two visits. I'd have said 'Coach, I'm coming to Tennessee.' "

Pearl said he agrees with Hamilton, that darkening the arena setting will highlight play on the court.

"I think it brings attention to the game and brings out the orange and white on the floor, I really do,'' Pearl said. "The contrast between the seats and the floor will sharpen the lighting, which should make it better for television.''

Hamilton said every seat in the lower bowl will be padded, while all seats in the arena will be of the chair-back style.

Capacity of the arena will fall from 24,535 to an estimated 21,000, Hamilton said.

Another glaring change to the setting will be 32 North side suites, all of which have been sold out. There will be 16 16-seat suites and 16 10-seat suites. The 16-seat suites cost $50,000 a year and the 10-seaters cost $35,000 annually. The prices include men's and women's basketball tickets.

Beneath the skybox suites is the addition of 140 loge (club-style) seats, which are larger and have access to a small lounge behind the section. Those seats, also sold out, come at a price of $4,000 per year.

The railings encircling the arena on the 200 level will be replaced with high-end glass to improve sightlines, Hamilton said.

Another key aspect of the renovation is increasing the roof capacity, as that will allow the addition of a $2.5 million, four-screen scoreboard hung over mid-court. Hamilton said the arena lost out on the Tim McGraw-Faith Hill concert and the Cirque De Soleil, a touring Las Vegas-style show, because the roof capacity was lacking.

Concourse renovations include a new floor surface, a new ceiling, new lighting and painting.

Darkening the roof structure, which involves the painting of the ceiling tiles, is another add alternate.

Hamilton said the bid for the arena portion of the renovation will be on the market next week.

"They'll have to be very aggressive to complete the renovations on the scheduled dates, between March of 2007 and Oct. 15 of 2007,'' he said.

Hamilton said bids will soon be out for the yet-to-be budgeted graphics package for men's and women's basketball signage, which is already in design phase.

"We want to go into the newly renovated buildings with a graphics package that highlights both programs,'' Hamilton said. "We don't want it to be vanilla.''

Pratt Pavilion, already paid for through donations to the basketball programs, includes a retractable wall between two gyms so the teams can practice at the same time, along with a team meeting and film room, locker rooms, weight facility, training room and a recruiting room.

"We're still soliciting gifts for basketball needs,'' Hamilton said. "But the money from the loge seats and suite seats covers bond indebtedness for the arenas new additions.''

Phase Two of the project, which has not yet been budgeted but will easily push costs of the renovation over $30 million, includes new lighting over the court and fan seating, two food courts and a new remote ticket kiosk on the deck level.

Phase Three, the final phase, includes renovations to the basketball coaches' offices and team locker rooms.

Hamilton said plans for an LED board that would encircle the interior of the arena are on hold, but remain in consideration.

"This is incredible,'' said former UT basketball and current football player Stanley Asumnu. "I just wish I could come back here and play in Thompson-Boling Arena again when it looks like this.''