Hardwood Palace

★★★★★Brian P

Alot of people complain about the door fees for weekend tournaments but I can tell you that they are much less expensive than most AAU events. The staff is friendly and helpful. I've gotten to know several of them and even if you have a problem please remember they are doing their best. The referees are hit and miss like any basketball events. Eric who runs the AAU teams based here is a great coach as well as the others that work with him. They are definitely much better than the other local AAU programs.

★David Jones

This isn’t competition, it’s negligence, and kids are getting hurt because of it. Hardwood Palace knows older players are being allowed to compete against younger kids, and they’re doing nothing to stop it. The result? Mismatches that put younger players at real risk. Bigger, stronger, more developed athletes going up against kids who shouldn’t be in that situation. It’s not fair, and it’s not safe. And where are the referees? There’s also a serious problem with referees being too close to coaches. When officials have personal relationships with certain teams, the games are being influenced to favor their friends/coaches. That means missed calls, ignored hard fouls, and younger kids taking the brunt of it with no protection. Players become collateral damage while the focus shifts to making sure certain teams come out on top. And the worst part is that Hardwood Palace allows this behavior to continue, knowing the impact it’s having on the kids who are supposed to be protected. If my child gets hurt because of this, I will hold Hardwood Palace responsible. They’re aware of what’s happening and are choosing to let it continue. This is exactly why AAU basketball has such a bad reputation. Winning has become more important than integrity. Letting older kids play with younger kids just to chase medals isn’t competition, it’s manipulation. There’s no accountability anymore. Players skip practice, jump between multiple teams on the same weekend especially here Hardwood. Tournament directors are allowing 11th graders to compete at the 9th-grade level stacking teams and calling it competition. I see it at other grade levels as well here at Hardwood. What’s left is chaos. Games are being rushed to fit more into the schedule, to make more money. Referees are letting fouls slide just to keep the clock moving. More games, less protection. And again, the kids are the ones paying the price. More injuries. More frustration. More conflict. All because the adults in charge won’t do their job. What happened to putting kids first? When referees can curse at players and nothing happens, it tells you everything you need to know about the environment. Score keepers are on their phones and not watching the games. So no, this isn’t surprising. This is exactly why AAU basketball keeps getting criticized. The real question is, who’s going to step up before a kid gets seriously hurt? It's NOT Hardwood Palace for sure.

★★Lummie Forto

The basketball courts here are very nice—big, spacious, and great for playing games or practicing. There’s plenty of room, and the overall layout makes it a good place for players and families to enjoy basketball. One concern, however, is the temperature inside the facility. Every time we come, it seems to be hotter and hotter. It becomes very uncomfortable for the parents sitting and watching, let alone for players mostly kids who are running and being active on the court. We’ve been told multiple times that they are “looking into ways to cool it down,” but unfortunately nothing seems to be improving. With such a large space that hosts many players, proper cooling and ventilation should really be a priority. The courts themselves are great, but the heat inside the building makes the experience much harder to enjoy. Hopefully management can find a real solution soon so everyone can play comfortably.

★★★Danny Hauger

Tons of space and lots of good programs for kids but it was incredibly hot the day we visited and I don't think we will return because of how uncomfortable that got after just a few minutes. My daughter signed up for a 3-hour event but couldn't make it past 1 hour because she was so exhausted from the interior heat, $200 we can not get back. Very nicely designed place. Vending machines and snacks. If that's addressed I think this will definitely be a place I would want to go back to if it was cool inside for everybody.

★★★★Humboldt Jay

The refs haven't been very good in the 3 years that I've been going. Tend to side with local teams. I saw one ref get ran out the building for saying "STFU" to a 14 year old who was just telling the ref to watch for a kid that was playing dirty. Overall tho, good experience & will continue to play AAU there.