Must have been pretty cool with a full house. It was archaic for sure but very cool how the seers hung over the floor
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Hey everyone! The McRib is back!
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Fun! I was at every game played in Withrow for four years and then held season tickets after graduation. Any mention of home court advantage has to have Withrow as an example.
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No argument here, just confused as to what is best going forward. Our present facility is outdated. Fix it, blow it up, replace it? Obviously money comes into play big time. I would love to sit down over coffee or preferably beer with some people who actually know all the facts and possibilities. Until then I’ll just keep reading and waiting.
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No, sorry…the black curtains didn’t keep the top recruits away. Lots of big talent/ballers as teammates did. Lots of talent in coaching and developing ballers did. Serious talent wants to play together with and beat other big talent. Lack thereof equals “record suck these last many years.” Curtains look stupid…then complain. Administration doesn’t listen…get the ones to complain that they or he will listen to.
I love MotherMiami’s passion. I wish Miami had an administration that supported Millett Hall, MBB, WBB and VB over the past 2+ decades. Unfortunately, the lack of attention and care of the President, Board, AD and others have made a Millett Hall redo a fiscal impossibility. That plan has gone the way of the Dodo (pun intended–for those here long enough)
A shiny new arena will NOT fix Miami’s current basketball issues. However, it does add a piece of the puzzle that has been missing.
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I think thats ultimately what it would be, a BIG piece of the puzzle. However, I wonder if that donor is interested in redirecting that money towards the staff and NIL as an alternative…
Its hard to put your name on a NIL deal
What about an endowment?
The guys who gave promises of $10 million to next years Michigan QB sure have their names mentioned a lot. That being said, it’s not the same as your name on a building like Withrow or Millett. Something that will stand the test of time.
Well when there are only 14 people in the crowd, it’s easy to pick out what individual fans say.
And Squash courts and handball too.
I honestly dont know who it is- who is it?
True dat, but that was one of those teams that drew reasonable crowds. Games we don’t play many of now.
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Bo somehow thought that playing handball was a good off season condition thing for his players. Especially early in the morning. Way too often I was pulled out of bed because a 4th was needed for a doubles game. Crap, those guys were viscous. I still blame my two hand surgeries on my roommates.
I loved attending games in Withrow. There was a long balcony where the pep band sat amongst the fans. Dad and I sat directly behind the Miami bench–I mean our knees were literally touching the backs of the players (bleacher seats) because that’s exactly where my father wanted to be. The echoes of the ball hitting the floor, the cheering of the crowd, the band, the whistles–if I close my eyes I can still hear it. It was truly a “barn” to play in, too small for the better crowds each year, and the locker rooms were on a different floor, so I think the move into Millett Hall was seen as a huge step up for the program, but daggone it was a fun place to watch my team play. And yes, Freddy Foster, Walt Williams, Phil Snow, Jim Patterson, Frank Lukacs…and a guy named Coles… all provided many moments of joy for this Miami fan.
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Jimmy Patterson. A blast from the past. A truly funny dude.
It’s obviously a different era and reality altogether when some of us were back in Miami, but what has been said by Skin and others still rings true; that being that fans turned out for big games (MAC) and for nationally know programs.
I was at Miami in the mid to late 70’s, and we had excellent teams (18-20 wins with a 26 game schedule) each and every year. The students and alums were treated to seeing the likes of UC, XU, Dayton, North Carolina, and a ranked Western Michigan team. These were must see games, and we were also very competitive. A good home schedule is critical to drawing big crowds (as long as your team has a shot at beating them!)
The landscape for college hoops has changed dramatically, and after years of having a lousy power rating and an pretty irrelevant W-L record, we cannot hope to land power programs anymore.
That’s why I was so disheartened by our loss of traditional regional rivals like UC, XU, and Dayton. Now we satisfy ourselves with playing (and not necessarily defeating) our new reality of regional “rivals” like Wright State and Northern Kentucky.
So, what the new arena get us? Well, hopefully a strong recruiting tool, and an ability to attract talent in coaching and players to produce a consistent winning program again. That and competing for MAC titles will help engage the students and alums.
A farther reaching goal would be to maintain a respectable Net rating so other mid to lower level power conference teams might be willing to schedule us, hopefully at our new Arena once awhile.
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Great memories of Withrow Court. In September’65 I was introduced to the building when Freshman Convocation was held there the night before the first day of classes. Then, three years of basketball before Millett opened.
My most vivid memories are of the football players, led by QB Bruce Matte, sitting on baseline bleachers behind the basket at the South end and harassing visiting players from a couple feet away. The battles between Fred Foster and Don May of Dayton. George Stone, Marshall’s star forward, being so frustrated by the attention of the football players that he eventually threw a punch on the court and was ejected. As he left the court he flashed a double bird to the cheering crowd. Phil Snow dropping 30 foot bombs. Walt “Snake” Williams, already a Cincinnati high school legend, playing his freshman year at Miami, going into the military for two years and then coming back to finish college and lead us to an NCAA Tournament win over Notre Dame.
I remember Withrow as giving us a real home court advantage, one we can recreate with a new, purpose built basketball building, regardless of where it’s built.
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