The sports community is looking for a safer solution during celebrations after a player was injured when fans stormed the court following a game over the weekend.
In the wake of a disturbing incident, the sports community is amplifying its plea to cease courtstorming during basketball games nationwide. The catalyst for this outcry came when a prominent figure in
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SEE ALSO: Wake Forest edges No. 8 Duke 83-79. Court storming leaves Filipowski shaken up
Duke’s Kyle Filipowski was injured Saturday as a wave of Wake Forest fans rushed their home court after the Demon Deacons’ 83-79 defeat of the No. 8 Blue Devils.
Amidst the chaos, Filipowski found himself knocked down by a Wake Forest supporter, resulting in a knee injury for the 7-foot center.
“This gotta change...,” Filipowski posted on X after the game.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer called for courtstorming to be banned, and Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes agreed.
“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,” said Scheyer.
Although official statistics are not available, an analysis by ESPN shows that there have been about three court storms per week over the last three months in college basketball.
On February 21 alone, within a three-hour window, incidents took place in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Rarely has anyone gotten hurt, but a 2004 court storm resulted in Arizona high school star Joe Kay suffering a stroke that left him partially paralyzed.
ESPN CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE.