Photos by Lloyd Brown, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
Buccaneer Field House 9200 University Blvd Charleston, SC 29423
Year Opened: 1965
Capacity: 881
The Bucs Stop Here
Charleston Southern University is a Baptist – affiliated school located in North Charleston, South Carolina. It is a relatively young school, as it was founded in 1964. Today it has grown to an enrollment of 3,459 students on its 300-acre campus.
The sports teams at Charleston Southern are known as the Buccaneers and participate in the Big South Conference. The home court for the Buccaneers basketball program is the on-campus CSU Field House, often referred to as the Bucs Dome. The Field House has a capacity of only 881 seats, making it the second smallest Division I arena in the NCAA. This forces the Bucs to play major conference opponents and local rivals in the nearby North Charleston Coliseum. The arena is located at the northeastern end of the Charleston Southern campus. The stands surround the floor, with the students and pep band behind the baskets.
Reserved seating is limited to eight rows of chair back seating on one side of the court. All other seating is considered General Admission and features plastic bleacher seating. It is a good idea to arrive early if you have a specific place you want to sit. However, due to the small size of the facility, every seat in the house is close to the action.
The Buccaneers have been to one NCAA Tournament and have taken part in two NIT tournaments. Over the years they have won four Big South regular season titles and four Big South tournament titles.
Food & Beverage 3
As you would suspect, there is one concession stand at the CSU Field House. It offers a limited number of items, including pizza ($2), hot dogs ($3), popcorn ($3), chips ($1) and candy ($1.50). Beverages include Pepsi brand sodas ($2), water ($2) and Gatorade ($3). On the good side of things all items are relatively inexpensive, making a trip to the concession stand very family friendly for the wallet.
Atmosphere 3
A night out at a Bucs game at the CSU Field House is great for basketball purists. The game is the focus of attention without the bells and whistles of many modern arenas. You still have the pep band, the cheerleaders and a few contests to fill the breaks in the action, but don’t expect a lot of extras.
On the other hand, the intimacy of the Field House allows you to hear the coach’s instructions to the players from the sidelines, or nearly have a player in your lap as they dive for a ball as it is headed out of bounds. You really feel a part of the game in ways you never would experience in a larger arena. One nice touch in the arena is that the wood floor at center court is stained in the shape of a pirate ship with the CSU crossed swords logo fitting neatly on its sails.
CSU Field House harkens back to a different time, and for many, that’s just fine.
Neighborhood 3
Charleston Southern University is in a somewhat isolated area away from the city of North Charleston. However, with its easy access to I-26, you can be in the city center or downtown Charleston in a matter of minutes.
Two restaurants that locals recommend close to the school are Smokey Bones Bar and Grill and Willie Jewells Old School BBQ, which is famous for its Low Country style of BBQ. As far as accommodations, you can’t get any closer to the school than the Wingate by Wyndham Hotel located next door to the university. You can leave your car at the hotel and just walk to the game. The Hampton Inn is also located in the vicinity of the university.
The greater Charleston area is known for its beautiful plantation homes along both the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Middleton Place is by far the most visited of the homes along the Ashley River. In addition to the beautiful home, it offers beautiful formal gardens and terrific views of the river unspoiled by any development. If you have kids with you, you’ll want to include a visit to the North Charleston Fire Museum. It offers a large collection of vintage fire engines and other firefighting apparatus dating back to the last century.
The city of Charleston with its myriad sightseeing options is just over a half hour away from the Charleston Southern campus. Fort Sumter, the Battery, the South Carolina Aquarium are just some of the sites you will want to visit. Lodging in the North Charleston area is much cheaper than the hotels in downtown Charleston.
Fans 4
The Bucs Dome can be a very intimidating place to play. The small size of the facility results in the seats practically touching the floor. A vast majority of those seats are occupied by CSU supporters.
The sound in the arena can be deafening at times, especially when the Bucs are on a scoring binge or an opponent’s shot is blocked. The Charleston Southern pep band, the cheerleaders and dance squad and Bucky the Buccaneer do a great job in getting the crowd charged up throughout the game. One of the band’s signature highlights is the playing of the spiritual “I’m So Glad,” which has you swaying in the stands and singing along. You’ll feel like you are at a camp meeting.
Access 4
Charleston Southern University and the CSU Field House are easily accessed via I-26 at exit 205. The school is located directly off the interstate. The basketball arena is located at the rear of the campus and offers ample free parking.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets to a Bucs basketball game are $15 for a reserved seat and $10 to sit in the general admission area. The concession offerings are very limited, but inexpensive in price. Parking is free and abundant just outside of the arena. Lodging in the North Charleston area is much cheaper than hotels in downtown Charleston, which is just a 30-minute drive away.
Extras 4
The CSU Hall of Fame is in the hallway leading into the gym.
The inexpensive pricing at the concession stand is hard to beat.
You can get a great selfie of yourself with the fierce looking Buccaneer in the entry hall outside of the gym.
The Charleston Southern campus is very compact and has some beautiful buildings centered around a reflecting pool that are well worth a photo or two.
Final Thoughts
The priorities at Charleston Southern are faith first and service to the community second and academics third. It still has some very nice athletic facilities, including the CSU Field House, the CSU Ballpark and Buccaneer Field. Being small has not kept CSU from having very competitive teams in the Big South Conference, where they have won numerous championships.
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