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Duquesne Dukes

Official Review by Joshua Guiher, Stadium Journey Special Correspondent

Duquesne plays basketball in the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh. The Palumbo Center is located just 2 blocks from the CONSOL Energy Center. It was built in 1988 and holds 4,406. The most recent renovation was just finished in 2010. The A.J. Palumbo Center has a unique design with some odd sightlines. The main overhead scoreboard does not have enough room for stats, so small scoreboards are located in each corner of the arena. The corner scoreboards then rotate between the score and various stats such as points and foul totals.

Food & Beverage    2

The entire food menu consists of a jumbo hot dog ($3.25), Nachos & Cheese ($3.50) and a soft pretzel ($2.75). They also have snacks including popcorn and candy bars, (both $2), or ice cream and cracker jacks ($3). The only unique item on the menu is "Duke Chips" for $1.50.

Drinks are Pepsi products and cost $3.50 for a fountain soda or a Gatorade. Bottled water is $3 and coffee is $1.50. Also, the concession stands are located in the very corners of the arena, making them kind of hard to locate on your first trip to the Palumbo Center.

The only thing keeping the concessions from being a 1 star is the fact that they had 3 separate stands so lines were extremely small and moved quickly. You could go get food during a media timeout and be back in your seat without missing any game action.

Atmosphere    3

Despite playing against a fellow league and postseason bound team the night I was there, the crowd was a little sparse and was only moderately loud. Certainly not a quiet crowd, but not as loud and enthusiastic as I expected considering the team success that season.

The student section was extremely small, but did have a few zany characters dressed in school colored "green man" suits. The band also added to the atmosphere greatly by playing sound effects for every action in the game. It felt like being in a Warner Bros. cartoon.

Neighborhood    3

Duquesne is located around the Hill district in Pittsburgh, with a lot of revitalization in the area immediately around the A.J. Palumbo Center. Just a block away is a nice sports bar called The Red Ring. The post-game show is hosted there offering a cool way to interact and share your thoughts on the game with the coach.

Parking can be expensive, especially on a night that the Pens are playing as well like the night I was there. Most garages were charging $20, although you can find free street parking after 6pm if you are lucky. I managed to find a free spot just 3 blocks from the Palumbo Center right beside the First Ward Veterans Memorial.

Fans    3

As mentioned before, the fans who turn out for the tournament each year are extremely enthusiastic international tennis aficionados. It is not uncommon to see plenty of creative costumes and outfits to publically show their support for their favorite players no matter their origin. Flags, signs, and large autograph tennis balls have become the norm of the tennis fanatics. In addition to the tennis obsessives, there are plenty of affluent recreational tennis players who enjoy some of the amenities that the tournament offers.

Access    4

It is fairly easy to get to the Palumbo Center with its proximity to the CONSOL Center. There are multiple freeways that all have exits within a few blocks. The only drawback is when the Steelers or Pens are playing on the same day, which leads to traffic backups of a few miles.

The actual Palumbo Center has easy access with plenty of doors and wide stairways. It was easy to find my way around the various sections, with only the concession areas being a little hidden.

Return on Investment    4

Tickets were only $8 for a top Atlantic 10 team, a real bargain. Factor in the free parking and the trip was really worth the money. Overall I was impressed with the A.J. Palumbo Center and the Duquesne basketball experience.

Extras    2

I can't say that there was much in the way of extras. The apparel store was small and had just your standard school spirited items. If you are in Pittsburgh and want to attend a good Division I basketball game, a game at Duquesne is a good alternative to the much more expensive Pitt experience.

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