📍 High Point, North Carolina
🏀 Home of High Point Panthers basketball

North Carolina is known for its college basketball, especially the four ACC schools that represent Tobacco Road. However, one college basketball program in the state which should not be overlooked is that of High Point University. The Panthers played at the Millis Athletic Convocation Center – opened in 1992 – for almost thirty seasons. The arena held 1,750 fans but, as the program grew, it was clear a new facility was needed as the basketball team transitioned from Division II to DI’s Big South Conference in 1999.

Millis remained open for volleyball, but the men’s and women’s basketball teams moved a quarter mile away to the new Qubein Center for the 2021-22 season. This amazing venue holds 4,500 and was one of the more unique new college basketball arenas in the country when it opened.

Qubein Center boasts a stunning marbled atrium decorated with Panthers statues to match those outside, along with a purple fountain, open concourses, a massive video jumbotron and a wood-paneled ceiling that evokes feelings of Madison Square Garden.

The High Point men’s basketball team has made two NCAA Tournament appearances at the Division II level – coming back-to-back in 1996 and 1997 – while the women’s program made the DII Tournament in 1997, reaching the Sweet 16. In 2021, the women became the first High Point team to qualify for March Madness at the Division I level, although they’d lose 102-59 to top-seeded Connecticut inside the tournament bubble at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The men would later follow suit, with their first tournament appearance coming in 2025 against #4 Purdue. The accomplishments of players from both basketball squads is highlighted all throughout the concourse at the Qubein Center.

While the Millis Center served the Panther’s basketball programs well for almost three decades, the Panthers’ move to the Qubein Center helped to grow and solidify High Point basketball as one of the top programs in North Carolina and has ensured their arena is a must-visit for every basketball fan.

Check out my interview below with the voice of High Point men’s basketball, Daron Vaught!
_{Recorded February 26, 2022.}

Photos by Jared Goodman.