If any Miami RedHawk has reason to feel especially good about getting back on their home court at Millett Hall, it would be Reggie Johnson.

The 6-foot-1 freshman guard has enjoyed his best two games of the season in Miami’s only two home games. He came off the bench to score 20 points in an 80-54 win over Grambling State in the RedHawks’ home opener on Nov. 13 and followed up by setting Miami’s single-game season high with 21 points in a 76-58 win over James Madison on Nov. 24.

The RedHawks have lost four straight since then, a losing streak they hope to break against Illinois-Chicago in a 1:30 p.m. game today at Millett Hall.

“It’s a very exciting game for us, not just because of the losing streak we’ve been on, but because it’s on our home court,” Johnson said Thursday, the day after struggling to just two points, both on free throws, in 25 minutes of Miami’s 67-59 loss at Wright State. “This is a good way to get out of our slump, by trying to protect our home court.”

The RedHawks’ losing streak matches the number of road games they’ve played since that win over James Madison. Today’s game is the first of four straight at home, Miami’s longest home stand since Feb. 12-22, 2006, when the RedHawks won three straight Mid-American Conference games and an ESPN matchup with Illinois State, all at Millett Hall.

“It was a rough stretch,” first-year coach John Cooper said Friday morning. “Unfortunately, there were some times during that time when we didn’t play very well. We weren’t able to figure out a way to get a win on the road.”

Cooper hopes the RedHawks can capitalize on playing in familiar surroundings, but they have to make it happen, he said.

“Our kids are like anyone else,” Cooper said. “They need some good things to happen to develop confidence.”

Johnson has another reason to be excited about playing UIC. He and 6-3 sophomore guard Will Sullivan are the only two Chicago-area natives on Miami’s roster. Sullivan is a product of Elmhurst York High School, while Johnson was second-team all-state as a senior at Chicago St. Joseph.

Johnson isn’t very familiar with the Flames program, he said.

“I maybe know one or two guys from playing summer ball in open gyms,” he said, adding that UIC didn’t recruit him.

Did he want to be recruited by his hometown team?

“No,” he said. “Honestly, I didn’t want to stay in Chicago.”

His success on his newest home court leads him to believe he made the right decision.

“Playing on your home court always gives you a boost of confidence,” he said.