Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum - Home of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Official Review by Martin Rickman, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

Long known as a basketball school for its affiliation as a member of the Big Four, Wake Forest's deep history started when the school was located in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

The team is now a far cry from a small gym outside of Raleigh. The Demon Deacons play their home games in Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum, just minutes from downtown Winston-Salem, and across the street from beautiful BB&T Field.

Although "the Joel" is in need of some renovations, it is still a great place to watch a basketball game. It has elements of a professional arena, but holds true to the small university feel that Wake has instilled in everything from the campus to athletics.

Food & Beverage    3

The concession stands are pretty decent overall. There is some solid barbeque and pizza, as well as aptly-colored "gold and black" chocolate chip ice cream. You can also find popcorn, hot dogs, soda, and the usual arena fare.

Atmosphere    4

Granted, the 2010-11 season was not one for the ages for the Demon Deacons, the Joel has been home to some pretty memorable moments. The team entrances have been scaled back a bit in the last couple years, but have featured smoke, fire, arm-waving tube men, motorcycles, pumping bass, and strobe lights. Halftime entertainment has been the same as what you'll find in NBA arenas throughout the years.

When the team has something to play for, the fans, between the students and Winston-Salem natives, can get loud and raucous.

It's been quiet lately, but when the team recovers, the Joel will be rocking again.

Neighborhood    4

Outside the Joel is a row of restaurants owned by the Wake Forest administration, including Red Hot & Blue, a halfway decent BBQ place with about 25 locations throughout the U.S. It has brisket, ribs, sandwiches, burgers, Brunswick stew, as well as some other fixings. The pork is decent, and the sauces aren't bad, but it is what it is "" chain BBQ.

There is also a pretty good bar called Meltdown next door. It puts a lot of emphasis on sandwiches, between gourmet grilled cheese and burgers to a gluttonous Monte Cristo. It's a good place to go to watch a game, and has a solid drink selection.

If you're looking for other options, you could always drive the five minutes downtown. A really nice option is Fourth Street Filling Station. It's a step up from the bar food you'll find near the arena, and has some quality southern fare. Foothills Brewery is also downtown, featuring some good local brews. If you head to Foothills, make sure to try their homemade ketchup.

Wake Forest and Winston-Salem in general have done a lot to improve the neighborhood around both BB&T Field and LJMC. Between the restaurant row, the tailgating lots, the revitalization of downtown, and the beauty of the Wake Forest campus, all that is left is to connect it all together. It is a process, but one that I'm watching intently.

Fans    3

Wake diehards are great fans. They have seen it all, they've dealt with plenty of heartbreak, and the last few years have been really hard on fans of all ages. So, things have taken a turn for the worse recently. Head Coach Skip Prosser's death shook the fanbase, the team's postseason woes under Dino Gaudio strained it further, a mess of transfers and legal troubles for the players left the cupboard nearly empty, and new coach Jeff Bzdelik did little to re-energize Demon Deacon faithful in his first season.

But it can't get much lower, and the promise of new beginnings and a recruiting class to rally behind for 2012 have fans looking to the days ahead.

Access    4

Terrific access. A big parking lot at the Joel is easy in and out. You can get to major
highways really quickly no matter where you're coming from or headed to. Traffic is
never terrible, and there are plenty of shops, gas stations, and restaurants within a ten-
minute drive.

Return on Investment    4

The price points are right. Wake does a lot of nice fundraisers and activities in the
community, and group sales are always looking for good ways to get fans in the building.
You get to see ACC hoops at a decent price. Hard to complain there.

Extras    3

A point for the court itself, one of the nicer ones in college basketball. A point for
getting to see rivals marquee competition like UNC, Duke, N.C. State, Clemson, and others on a regular basis in the ACC. And a point for the game experience. The intro videos have been really neat in the past, halftime entertainment like the Red Panda Bowl Lady is always a treat, and when the Joel gets going during big games, it's an amazing experience.

Final Thoughts

Wake is down, but not out. And the Joel shows that. When the team rebuilds, the arena will get back to being one of the four or five best places to see a game in the ACC.