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Assembly HallSports: Men’s and Women’s BasketballCapacity: 16,618Constructed: 1963Assembly Hall WebsiteDriving Directions |
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When it's time to take the game on the court, Illinois has an outstanding home in the Assembly Hall. The Assembly Hall or, “The Hall” has served as home to the Fighting Illini men’s basketball program since its construction in 1963 as well as the home to the Fighting Illini women’s basketball program from 1981-93 and 1998-99 to the present.
The Fighting Illini men’s team opened play at the Assembly Hall on March 4, 1963 with a 79-73 victory over Northwestern. Since that first game, the Illini have racked up a 451-119 (.791) mark. Since 1963, Illinois has sold out 158 games at the Assembly Hall, which seats 16,618.
Illinois ranked seventh in the nation in home attendance in 2004-05 and set a number of attendance records. The season average home attendance of 16,387 was the best in school history. There were 13 sell-out crowds at the Assembly Hall, the most ever in a single season. And Illinois’ win over Wisconsin on Feb. 12, 2005 drew a record crowd of 16,865, the most fans ever to watch a game at the Assembly Hall. Fans help turn the Assembly Hall into a sea of orange for every Illini home game, with practically every person in attendance proudly wearing orange. That, combined with the Orange Krush student cheering section surrounding the court, gives the Illini one of the best home court advantages in the country. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Illinois has produced a 78-3 record at the Assembly Hall the past six years, the best home court record in the nation over that time span. Illinois has gone undefeated at The Hall three of the past five seasons, posting a 12-0 mark in 2000-01, a 14-0 mark in 2002-03, and a 15-0 record last season.
The Fighting Illini women’s team opened play at the Assembly Hall on November 20, 1981 with a 79-66 victory over Loyola. The Illini finished their first stint at The Hall on March 13, 1993 with a 78-94 loss to Ohio State University. After playing the next five seasons in the gymnasium at Huff Hall, with three single games at the Assembly Hall (going 2-1 in those games), the Fighting Illini moved back down Fourth Street permanently on November 23, 1998 with a 65-79 loss to Old Dominion. In all games played at the Assembly Hall the Fighting Illini women’s team has compiled an overall record of 170-91 (.720).
The Fighting Illini women continue to be popular in Champaign. A mix of young and old alike have caught “Illini Fever” in recent years. Under the leadership of Head Coach Theresa Grentz and the Illinois marketing office, women’s basketball has become a big hit for families. The team has brought in a multitude of fans for games played at the Assembly Hall with their largest crowd being the 16,050 fans that entered the gates on February 23, 1997. Coach Grentz has wanted to reward the young fans by giving them a spot behind the Illini basket, asking them to be loud in cheering on their favorite team. The group has been dubbed the “Grentz Gang”. In addition, fans of all ages can celebrate their birthday with a courtside party for up to eight people. For many games, birthday party space is sold out well in advance.
Coach Grentz has a great relationship with the Illini band who has taken ownership and pride over playing at Illini home games and traveling with the team to the postseason. In addition to the Grentz Gang, the birthday parties, and the community support the Blue Crew, the rabid student cheering section, gives tremendous support to the Illini at each home game.
Although mostly undetected by the public, the historic building received a major face-lift in 1999. The multi-million dollar construction project brought the teams new locker rooms, a state-of-the-art training room, a dining area and a new tunnel area to accommodate network television trucks and team buses.
In addition to hosting the Fighting Illini, the Assembly Hall also welcomes performances for Broadway musicals, concerts and other shows. Some of the recent shows and performers to take the Assembly Hall stage were: Aerosmith, Cher, Dave Chappelle, Dave Matthews Band, Elton John, Ja Rule, John Mellencamp, Kanye West, Ludacris, Prince, Pearl Jam and Van Halen.
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