With Wednesday’s trip to Warrensburg, I’ve now been to 10 of the 11 hoops arenas in the MIAA. Fort Hays is the lone exception, and I have no intention of changing that any time soon. Western assistant Mike Nicholson told me ole Gross Memorial is one of the league’s best venues when full, so we’ll let his opinion stand for the Tigers.
From the blog that brought you the MIAA’s best football stadiums, media guides and uniforms, here are the league’s best basketball venues — based on facilities and atmosphere.
1. Emporia State’s White Auditorium – The Hornets boast the most classic arena in the league and one of the MIAA’s loudest and most involved pep bands. For postgame interviews, I retreated down to the far reaches of the place and still could barely hear. The old-school arena and raucous atmosphere just make games in White Auditorium a treat.
2. Central Missouri's Multipurpose Building — The Multipurpose Building gets an immediate boost in my mind for the pregame meal and the Mule Kickers – the top dance team in the conference. Central also has the best student section in the conference and an overall engaged fanbase. The venue suffers a little from being too big, but the fans, not the vacuum, make Central a great place to catch game.
3. Fort Hays State's Gross Memorial Coliseum — Based on Coach Nick’s recommendation, we’ll slot the Tigers right here.
4. Missouri Western's MWSU Fieldhouse — Put it this way, nearly 2,000 fans a game still filed into MWSU Fieldhouse to watch one of the worst women’s teams in Griffon history. Western fans support the women almost as well as the men and yell and scream even for losing teams.
5. Washburn – The Ichabods and Lady Blues always draw well, but the fan base is passive. Lee Arena has been quiet with the occasional smattering of applause during both of my visits there. The arena itself is pretty nice with the offices overlooking one end of the court and the video board. The band does its best to pick up the atmosphere, but it feels more like a picnic in Topeka.
6. Southwest Baptist's Meyer Sports Center – It should be noted the Bearcats land at six solely based on their crowds for the men’s games because the attendance at the women’s contests rivals Truman for sparseness. But for the men, the student section is full and right on the court. The Meyer Sports Center is a small venue, so it looks packed and contains the crowd noise well. The Meyer Sports Center is also the league’s newest facility, providing a good atmosphere and amenities.
7. Missouri Southern's Leggett & Platt Center – The Leggett & Platt Center is the MIAA’s second-newest venue, and the facility isn’t objectionable. The lighting is good, and the Lions draw decently. But there isn’t anything remarkable or memorable about the fan base or the venue.
8. Pittsburg State's John Lance Arena – John Lance Arena looks like an airplane hanger, and the student section is practically non-existent. But the band is energetic, and the diehards behind the benches add a little spice to matchups in ‘The Pitt.’ I get the feeling the Gorillas fans at least enjoy the hoops season while waiting for football to start.
9. Northwest Missouri's Bearcat Arena – That brings us to Bearcat Arena. The Bearcats have the smallest venue in the conference and still can’t sell it out. It’s obvious many of the fans are just waiting for football season to roll around again.
10. Nebraska-Omaha's Sapp Fieldhouse – Because there is nowhere to park, the Mavericks play in front of scores of empty seats despite residing in the MIAA’s largest city. The arena is cavernous but amicable. Yet Sapp Fieldhouse has the energy of a wake.
11. Truman State's Pershing Arena – No one comes, the arena looks like it hasn’t been updated since the Reagan administration and the basketball teams rarely win.