Duke center Kyle Filipowski was injured when Wake Forest fans stormed the court after the Demon Deacons beat the Blue Devils, 83–79, on Saturday, shining a spotlight on the inherent risks that come into play when frenzied fans cross paths with athletes fresh off the emotion of competition.
Similarly, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was involved in a collision with a fan when Ohio State fans stormed the court last month. Now, one of college basketball’s most prominent voices, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, is calling for drastic measures to stop fans from storming the court..
“If they wanted to stop it, they could stop it tomorrow,” Bilas said on Monday’s episode of First Take. “… One time, all you have to do is once they’re on the court, don’t let them off. Just say, ‘You’re all detained,’ and give them all citations or arrest them if you want to. And then court stormings will stop the next day. There’s no accountability for this. The fans feel like it’s an entitlement, and the universities like it, and the truth is, [the media] like it.”
ESPN's Jay Bilas on court storming: "If they wanted to stop it, they could stop it tomorrow... You don't have to stop the court storming. One time, all you have to do is once they're on the court, don't let them off. Just say, 'You're all detained' and give them all citations or… pic.twitter.com/Bdbb0SZTDy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 26, 2024
Duke coach Jon Scheyer also called for a ban on court storming in the wake of Filipowski’s injury. No. 10 The Blue Devils (21–6, 12–4 ACC) play host to Louisville (8–19, 3–13) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. Filipowski’s status for that game isn’t yet known.
