Millett Hall (mil-LETT) is a basketball arena in Oxford, Ohio. It is home to the Miami University men's and women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams. It is also the home of the ROTC program and various university events. It is named after Miami University's 16th President John D. Millett. The original construction cost was approximately $7.5 million. It is located on the northern part of Miami's campus, near Yager Stadium. The arena opened its doors on December 2, 1968, against Adolph Rupp's Kentucky Wildcats. A crowd of 9,135 saw the Wildcats win 86–77. Miami's first win came on December 4, 1968, an 86–67 win over Bellarmine.[2]
Seating
The arena's official capacity is listed as 9,200,[3] Portable bleachers are installed at the north end of the court for the main student section. The south end of the court is reserved for the Pep Band and for the Red Alert student section.
The majority of the seating is located on the sides of the court. These are divided up into an upper and lower bowl. The seats in the lower bowl are a red fabric material, while the upper bowl are a brown color. A large video scoreboard hangs from the center of the arena with statistics.
One of the main complaints with the arena is that the fans are too far away from the action. The arena was built for multi-purpose use and not for athletics. Unlike many of the other arenas in the Mid-American Conference, fans are not on top of the court at Millett. Miami head coach Charlie Coles reflected on this in an interview with the Columbus Dispatch in 2007. "When you play at Millett the fans are so far away, and that has affected our student crowd." He added, "They don't feel like they can be an influence, and young people today like to be an influence. You can't get that momentum. We have to get a large crowd to have an impact on the home arena."[4]
Future plans
In the mid-2020s, real and perceived deficiencies of Millett Hall led the university to consider a new on-campus arena. In February 2025, a committee designated to evaluate sites chose Cook Field, an open space at the intersection of US 27 and State Route 73 that currently houses several intramural fields.[5] The university determined that renovating Millett Hall to fully meet the athletic program's needs—among them practice courts for men's and women's basketball, plus a dedicated volleyball venue—would cost at least $175 million, with the renovation requiring that the facility be taken offline for several years.[6] With that as a backdrop, the university's board of trustees authorized construction of a new arena at the Cook Field site on February 27, 2026. The new arena, with an approved budget of $281 million ($242 million for construction), is planned to open for the 2028–29 season. Millett Hall will be demolished once the new arena is complete. New intramural fields are set to be built at two campus locations, one adjacent to Millett Hall, in summer 2026, which will allow Cook Field to be decommissioned that September. More intramural fields, plus a walking path and exercise stations, are planned for the Millett Hall site after demolition.[6]
Men's basketball
Banners hang from the catwalks recognizing Miami's NCAA and NIT tournament appearances. Banners also hang recognizing Miami's 22 Mid-American Conference regular season championships, the first in 1952 and most recently in 2026. There are six retired jerseys at Millett Hall. They include: Ron Harper (34), Wayne Embry (23), Dick Walls (44), Darrell Hedric (86), Wally Szczerbiak (32), and Charlie Coles (10). Harper's jersey was the first to be retired, during halftime of his final home game in 1986.[7] On May 18, 2021, Miami unveiled a statue honoring Wayne Embry, which depicts him shooting his signature hook shot, and declaring the day to be "Wayne Embry Day".[8]
During the 1981-82 season, Miami went a perfect 10–0 at home. They set a record for home wins in a season with 12 during the 1996-97 season. The RedHawks have only suffered six losing seasons at Millett Hall.[14]Mary Ann Myers (20) and Heather Cusick (5) are the two women's jerseys retired at Millett.[15]
Prior to the 1985 season, the volleyball team played at Withrow Court since they began play in 1974.[18] The longest home winning streak is 17, starting on September 12, 1998, and ending on September 4, 1999. The 1998 team went a perfect 12–0 against Mid-American Conference opponents. The largest crowd to watch volleyball at Millett came during the 1995 Volleyball Championship, when over 1,000 fans attended.[2]
It was also the site of Miami University's bicentennial ball held on February 21, 2009, as the university celebrated the 200th anniversary of its charter signed February 17, 1809.[21]
↑Renninger, A., Weisman, M., Jorgensen, N., & Berry, M. (Ed). (2007). Miami University Men's Basketball 2007-08 Media Guide. Minster, OH: Post Printing. (p. 174)
↑Znidar, M. (2007, January 24). Variety of venues vexes MAC teams during road trips. Columbus Dispatch, The (OH), Retrieved March 19, 2009, from Newspaper Source database.
↑Renninger, A., Weisman, M., Jorgensen, N.,& Berry, M. (Ed). (2007). Miami University Mens Basketball 2007-08 Media Guide. Minster, OH: Post Printing.(p.114-115)
↑Renninger, A., Weisman, M., Jorgensen, N.,& Berry, M. (Ed). (2007). Miami University Men's Basketball 2007-08 Media Guide. Minster, OH: Post Printing. (p. 173)
↑Renninger, A., et al.(Ed). (2008). Miami University Men's Basketball 2008-09 Media Guide. Minster, OH: Post Printing. (p. 133)
↑Roth, M., Jorgensen, N., Renninger, A., Pearson, M., & Symonds, J. (Ed). (2008) Miami University Women's Basketball 2008-09 Media Guide. Minster, OH: Post Printing. (p.131)
↑Roth, M., Jorgensen, N., Renninger, A., Pearson, M., & Symonds, J. (Ed).(2008) Miami University Women's Basketball 2008-09 Media Guide. Minster, OH: Post Printing.(p.110)
↑Roth, M., Jorgensen, N., Renninger, A., Pearson, M., & Symonds, J. (Ed).(2008) Miami University Women's Basketball 2008-09 Media Guide. Minster, OH: Post Printing.(p.99-100)
