Saturday, August 19, 2000
Xavier to open arena with Miami
1st regular-season game in new home scheduled Nov. 18
By Michael Perry
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Miami University will be Xavier's first regular-season men's basketball opponent in the new 10,250-seat Cintas Center. The game is set for 4 p.m. Nov. 18.
“I hear the place is just beautiful,” Miami coach Charlie Coles said Friday. “They'll probably get us down there and it'll be a massacre, but I think it will be an honor to play them.”
The RedHawks volunteered to play in the inaugural game. Xavier, not surprisingly, struggled to find another school interested.
“To Miami's credit, they were always willing to do it,” XU coach Skip Prosser said. “I think we wanted an opener worthy of the new facility, and they certainly are.
“I think it's tremendous from a fan's standpoint — a local rival, the games are always hotly contested, and we have tremendous respect for Charlie Coles, his staff and Miami University. Obviously, it will be a very, very difficult game.”
The respect is mutual, which is why Coles lobbied to be the first game. He also wants to be able to tell recruits in the future that Miami is the school that opened Xavier's arena.
It will be Xavier's first regular-season game on campus since January 1988. The Musketeers' home court has been the Cincinnati Gardens. The RedHawks won't miss the place, though. They lost their last five games with XU at the Gardens.
XU will play its first game at the Cintas Center on Nov.3, an exhibition against the California All-Stars. It will faceAthletes in Action on Nov.9.
The Musketeers still need to find one nonconference game before announcing their non-league schedule.
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