[lzppjb]

From an update on Orangebloods...

Steve Patterson is busy trying to raise money for:

(1) A new video replay board. Replacement parts aren't available anymore for the decade-old Godzillatron, which cost $10 million, because the company that built it is no longer in business. As soon as the money is raised for a new video board (not sure of the new pricetag), it would be installed.

(2) A new basketball arena. Texas may have only five years left in the Erwin Center before it's razed for the new UT Medical School. Patterson hopes to replace the 16,000-seat Erwin Center with a 10,000 to 12,000-seat arena that gets students closer to the floor.

Texas would have to raise all the money for a new arena unless UT did a public-private venture - possibly downtown.

Possible downtown sites apparently include 1) near the Austin Convention Center; 2) near the Austin American-Statesman building (South Congress).

One source said Patterson seemed curious about the possibility of playing some early season men's basketball games in Gregory Gym to help build a better bond with students, but a UT official called that speculative.

(Chip Brown)