Calming the Storm ⛈️

02/26/2024

By: Jeff Yoder

Debates Rage Across Sports World After Wake Forest Court-Storming Injures Duke’s Kyle Filipowski

Monday morning’s biggest story from the weekend took place “inside the lines” but after the buzzer on Saturday night. It wasn’t during gameplay, but still on the playing surface, and it’s been a source of controversy in recent years. You’ve probably seen it everywhere by now — the court-storming catastrophe that injured Duke’s Kyle Filipowski. The calls for action are getting louder, and they reach ear-blasting decibel levels when these events impact star players like Filipowski or Iowa’s Caitlin Clark — arguably two of the best players in college basketball. Court-storming may soon be a thing of the past after what happened Saturday in Winston Salem.

 

ICYMI, Here’s What Happened

Wake Forest fans stormed the court Saturday night at LJVM Coliseum after the Demon Deacons upset 8th-ranked Duke (83-79). It was another top-10 takedown in a year of crazy upsets, but that’s not the story here. Duke sophomore Kyle Filipowski was at center court when the buzzer sounded, attempting to walk toward Duke’s bench when he and a fan collided. Filipowski appeared to suffer a knee or ankle injury from the incident. A student manager came to his aid and shielded him from the rush of fans. Filipowski is Duke’s leading scorer (16.9 ppg) and rebounder (8.2 reb), and he’s projected to be a top-10 pick should he declare for the NBA Draft this year. Several slow-motion videos make it look like Filipowski could be faulted for extending his arms, but he’s (most likely) reacting to the oncoming contact. Some Wake Forest fans were clearly taunting him, too.

 

“I’m more concerned about the well-being of our guys… When are we gonna ban court storming? When are we gonna ban that? How many times does a player have to get into something where they get punched or they get pushed or they get taunted right in their face? It’s a dangerous thing.” — Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer

 

Calming the Storm 

The aftermath of the event sent a shockwave through college sports. One month ago, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was clipped by a fan after an upset at Ohio State. That’s two of the game’s biggest stars in dangerous post-game incidents just before March Madness. Major injuries could’ve been a devastating outcome that would’ve demanded change. Lucky for the NCAA, the lack of a “home-court advantage” and upset etiquette in the NCAA Tournament doesn’t lend itself to fans rushing the courts at neutral-site games. Storming the court (or the field in football) has been a collegiate tradition for decades, but it carries a dangerous element for athletes caught in the chaos. Banning court-storming appears to be the next major change coming to college athletics.

 

 Poll: Should the NCAA ban storming the court? (click to vote)

 

Yes | No

 

Read More

CBS Sports: Who Initiated Contact: Filipowski or Wake Fans?

ESPN: Injuries Intensify College Basketball’s Court Storming Debate

Yahoo! Sports: Don’t Expect College Hoops’ Court-Storming Problem to Get Fixed