Concerns over the dangers of court storming are back in the limelight after Duke center Kyle Filipowski appeared to get injured as fans stormed the court following the Wake Forest Demon Deacons’ upset of the Blue Devils.
Wake Forest took down No. 8 Duke 83-79 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Saturday. As the final seconds ticked off the game clock, Wake Forest fans stormed the floor at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum as some players from both teams were still on the floor.
Filipowski, who scored a team-high 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists, was caught in the ensuing stampede. He appeared to injure his right leg when a fan clipped his foot while sprinting toward mid-court. His teammates and Duke staffers rushed to his aid to create a barrier around him as fans continued to pour onto the court. Filipowski was helped to locker room as he appeared to limp.
COURT STORMING: Caitlin Clark incident at Ohio State raises concerns about how to make storming court safe
Following the incident, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer asked, “When are we going to ban court storming?”
‘I’m more concerned on the well-being of our guys. … 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,’ Scheyer said in his postgame comments. ‘It’s a dangerous thing. .. You look around the country and with Caitlin Clark, something happens, and with Flip (Filipowski). I don’t know what his status is but he sprained his ankle. … That needs to stop.’
Filipowski, who clarified he suffered a knee injury in the incident, told reporters he felt the contact was ‘intentional.’
‘I absolutely feel that it was personal – intentional, for sure,’ Filipowski said, per the Fayetteville Observer, part of the USA TODAY Network. ‘There’s no reason where they see a big guy like me trying to work my way off the court and can’t just work around me. There’s no excuse for that.’
‘I hope he’s OK,’ Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said.
‘I don’t like court-stormings. Never have. I’ve been a part of those before as a coach. Just don’t feel safe. I’m sure the next time that happens we’ll do a better job of taking care of that situation.’
Filipowski’s injury is the latest incident to raise concern about the dangers of court storming.
Last month, Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark collided with a fan after the Hawkeyes’ overtime loss at Ohio State. Clark tumbled to the floor and was tended to by arena officials, a police officer and teammates. She said during postgame interviews that she was OK physically but that it could have been much worse.