:: John D. Millett Hall
John D. Millett Hall is a multipurpose assembly hall that has hosted concerts by artists ranging from Yo Yo Ma to Beck, political speakers like Ross Perot, and is home to Miami University's commencement exercise on three dates every year. However, Millett is probably still best known as a sporting venue than a concert hall. From the track surrounding the floor of the arena to the scoreboards in the rafters, there is no doubt that this venue has been home to some of Miami's finest athletes since 1968.
Basketball
Miami's men and women's teams both use Millett as their home court as well as their primary practice venue. And it is a friendly home court. Miami men own a 75% winning percentage in Millett, and have claimed 12 of their league-leading 20 MAC championships while residing in Millett. Likewise, the women have won 68% of their games in Millett and won over 70% of their games in the 1990s.
Despite fans' complaints of cushy seats and crowds that seem to be watching some of the concerts instead of sporting events, Miami is still an intimidating venue for opponents to visit. For one, the administration has placed lots of bleachers for student seating right on the floor of Millett, creating an intimidating environment for any opposing player that wants to drive the baseline or take the ball down the east sideline. For another, the darkness of the corners of Millett often seems unsettling to visiting shooters.
Volleyball
Miami Volleyball also plays at Millett during the fall, and the venue is just as friendly to them. From 1996 to 1999, Miami was the top team in the MAC in volleyball, reaching the conference championship game in each of those years.
Seating
As stated above, the permanent seats are cushy, theatre-style seats, and there is usually enough room around you to be comfortable. On the floor, the seats are of two kinds: the smaller stands are temporary aluminum stands and cramped as students pack them tightly. The others are less cramped plastic-molded seats on the north end of the floor. Don't worry about sitting, though, because students have taken to standing through entire games.
The prime permanents seats in Millett are on the halfcourt line and the sections surrounding the line. In the lower bowl, these seats are primarily season ticket holders, with more season ticket holders in the west stands. The upper bowl on the sidelines are single-game reserved seating (although you probably can slip in with a general admission ticket if you were careful) while the "horseshoe end" of the arena are general admission. Visiting teams are relegated to the southwest corner of Millett in Sections 9 and 115.
Students, as stated earlier, get their choice of bleachers seats, lower level seating in sections, 4, 6, 8, and 10, and in any of the general admission seating. Get to the game early and snag one of the floor seats if you are a student -- this may be the best deal in all of college basketball. If you're not a student, well, if you are a friendly fan, Public Safety may not care if you are cavorting with the younger crowd on the baseline, but I have seen opposing fans ejected -- often to the delight of Miami students -- before and during games.
Concessions
Miami Food Service always operates at least two concession stands in Millett one the south end of the concourse. Depending on the size of the anticipated crowd, however, they may also open two auxiliary stands near the north end of both the east and west concourses. Food is usually typical ballgame fare -- popcorn, nachos, pretzels, brats, metts, hot dogs, candy, Pepsi products (ugh), etc. (At one point, they were selling Donato's Pizza, but that seems to have stopped.) Like football, the stands are staffed by community volunteers, but the lines usually move efficiently.
Restrooms
You should rarely ever have to wait to use a restroom at Millett. There are four pairs of restrooms around the outer concourse, each with a generous number of fixtures. In addition, in 2000-01, Miami added handicap-accessible restrooms on either side of the concourse level.
Tickets
Game-day tickets can be bought at the athletic ticket office inside the South lobby of Millett, or can be purchased over the phone by calling 513-529-HAWK. Fans with tickets in hand can walk in through any door with a ticket-taker (including the North doors that lead directly into arena level), while fans wanting to buy tickets and students must enter through the South entrance.