As one that has played on Millett’s floor & been part of successful teams and LOVED my time in Millett, allow me to share that I had teammates that could have been on Big10 squads, ACC, A10, and any other D1 in the region…but we each chose Miami. That being said, if you were a Miami student today, would you be excited to walk wherever on campus and watch your team play the following: Wright State, Maryland Eastern Shore, Air Force, Bethany, Sacred Heart, App State, Tiffin, Austin Peay, Hiram, Western Kentucky,? I came to Miami partly bc we were playing the Big 10s and regional powers (and we beat them more than a couple times). Would anyone care to guess how many Miami students had ANY of those schools on their list of college choices? Venture to say very, very few. We are a University known for having elite academic students. We are known as the "Cradle of Coaches’…but we are choking on abhorrent mediocrity. Those teams I listed are the HOME GAMES Men’s and Women’s basketball have had or will be hosting outside the MAC this year. We now play NCAA Div. II & III schools folks. So, my suggestion - do the renovations to Millett. Its a court with lighting and aura like no other. Want to solve the problem of NILs, poor student attendance, etc, then get an A.D. that knows Miami WAS the class of the MAC in basketball and fielded teams that beat the Big 10s, packed them in for local rivalry games and had players that chose a tough school, beautiful campus of GREEN SPACE and architecture. Add to that the understanding that we are capable of having college coaches HIGHLY PROFICIENT on the latest in sports conditioning, psychology, etc thanks to our transformative, demanding, & renowned Dept of Kinesiology and coaches that will incorporate today’s sport sciences. We still are a demanding school, still are one of the most beautiful campuses in the U.S. but for the past several years, we’ve been lacking in the last part - attracting exciting, grounded, intelligent coaching staffs. The lack of salary is on the Administration in Millett and the President’s Office and until we have an AD that understands what has and still sets Miami students apart, well you can build a new arena on Cook, South Quad, Slant Walk, hell the middle of Uptown…fans are not going to come to watch Miamians playing the teams of “D I who?”, D II, and even DIII! Are you kidding me? Solve the real problem. Make Miami Basketball cutting edge. Draw the best that want to play the best around. Administration - make a college athlete experience built on a paradigm of real coaching science and training. Bring in coaches with real salary numbers and put on him and her real Miami demands. Otherwise, this Millett solution is just another ploy that won’t meet the Miami student and alumni standards - we will drive, walk, park & hike (ever attend games at the Schott in Cbus?), hell even hop on Millett or Yager bound trolleys to see exciting college athletics against opponents we want to beat. (Remember the crowd to see Miami host Oklahoma in softball?)
I 100% agree with point that we schedule down to the detriment of recruiting and fan interest.
I love the passion - I agree with a lot but not all- but as point of reference my freshman year basketball our home games were:
William & Mary
Dayton
Evansville
Xavier
My soph year it was:
Indiana
Dayton
Cincinnati
In the next 10 years we will be lucky to get one of xavier-dayton-uc or indiana to play at home. We brag now when we play them away.
I know college sports changed but the schedule is less than it used to be for us and our conference
From The Miami Student Editorial Board:
Wait, they have food trucks on Slant Walk after 11:00 p.m.? Now that’s blasphemy.
With what money? The post is great and filled with love and nostalgia. Unfortunately, it’s completely out of touch with the real world. As a start, how much do you think the renovations to Millett would cost? Because they’re over $70mil. And that’s ignoring what a waste it is to keep throwing money at it to maintain a decaying, decrepit building.
Stop taking what made Miami special and trying to dilute it for the next wave of students. You got a nice Millett. This wave is stuck with a gym that is ok for everything and good for nothing.
It sure was. And now there’s a generation that keeps opening up Millett like it’s a casket with a dead body, saying look how pretty she was. Yeah, but it’s a skeleton now. You can put a dress on it, you can put lipstick on it, you can even throw some strings on it and make it dance, but it’s still a decaying corpse.
I was under the impression that a meeting regarding the proposed location was going on now in Harrison hall.
Is that the case? If so can someone post the room number?
As I posted before, I find the opinions of the current student body at Miami to be interesting, but that’s about it. They represent but a sliver of all students and alumni that have graced the campus with their presence.
You gotta do what’s best for business. If a new arena can get more butts in seats for sports and concerts and will lead to it becoming a profit center, then that’s the right call. Millet was a dump when I went to Miami and that was a long time ago. Just a dated and depressing building. Gross green seats. Quiet as a church. Nothing to be missed about tearing it down except for maybe the Terrazo flooring on the concourse. That was nice. And the sub basement. That was cool.
Began at 315pm today in Harrison Hall. Meeting of the University Senate.
…and I am an even older fart than you IIRC!
And I’m an older fart than both of you. I was there in December 1968 when Millet opened. We thought it was a palace, but even then it had obvious flaws. The seats were too far from the court, the nicely upholstered seats deadened the noise and there was obviously not enough practice space. It’s a relic and there is no reason to sink money into it.
“Decaying corpse”? Did you know that when Millett opened in 1968, it was awarded the top sports arena opened that year by a national architecture society? Another collegiate sports arena built that year…The Joyce Center, CURRENT home of Notre Dame Basketball. Miami women played there too. Another basketball arena to take note of…built in 1969 - THE YEAR AFTER MILLETT OPENED - one U.D. Arena. Both the Joyce and U.D. have looked dumpy and in need of renovations. U.D. did one 3 yr project renovating that created the Don Donoher Center for the basketball athletes and alone this cost U.D. 4.5 million. U.D. Arena was finally air conditioned 2019 from that renovation, and luxury boxes were added even earlier in 2002. The point is, U.D. kept renovating and it has all been done privately. So in answer to your point of where the money will come from? Us, the alumni and supporters of one Mother Miami. Oh, and we have an amazing architectural college and alumni, one of our own can’t come up with a “Donoher Center” addition that can be added to Millett? And the cost of a new arena…whole lot more expensive than working with the awesome building Millett has always been. Just saying.
I entered the University Senate meeting at 3:55. What discussion of the proposed location there was must have occurred earlier as it was not discussed thereafter. Did anyone else attend and can they summarize the presentation?
Is this you announcing that you will be donating tens of millions? Otherwise, the AD has been looking for the money for years and hasn’t found it until this donor
I had no idea that it was possible to love Millett Hall this much.
Grumpy, you’re a doggone National Treasure. I’ve said this at least once a year for the last 5 years to remind newbies to listen to you.
@MotherMiami I appreciate your nostalgia and emotions about the court you played on. But if your way of thinking were prevalent we would still be playing football at Miami Field.
Miami University:
“Our acceptance rate may have dropped to 85%, but we have a nice sidewalk that runs diagonally.”
Nothing was revealed? Odd.