Two days after his star center was injured after fans stormed the court following an upset loss, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer still believes court storming ‘can’t happen’ and the ACC needs to find ways to prevent it or make it safer.
Mere seconds after Duke was upset by Wake Forest at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Saturday, Wake Forest students and fans rushed to the court when center Kyle Filipowski appeared to get clipped by the foot by a fan. Filipowski injured his knee as members of the team came to his aid to help him get toward the locker room.
After the game, Scheyer asked when court storming be banned, with it being the focus of conversations in college basketball throughout the weekend. Speaking with reporters Monday morning, Scheyer said he’s been in contact with Duke athletic director Nina King, who’s been in touch with the ACC about what could be done in the future.
‘The bottom line, however people feel, that can’t happen,’ Scheyer said. ‘The ACC needs to do something. There has to be something done to protect our guys. To protect not just our guys, but any team that’s in that situation.
‘We shouldn’t wait until next year, something should be done right now.’
Scheyer added Filipowski wasn’t the only person in danger after the loss, adding a Wake Forest student got face-to-face with freshman guard Jared McCain. The Blue Devils coach said there wasn’t much he could do about the situation, believing his team had somewhat of a chance to tie the game down four points, and subbing out his star players would just put other people in danger. He said team student managers became the heroes of the day.
In terms of what could be done in the future, Scheyer looked back to how Arkansas managed its win over the Blue Devils in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in November. After the Razorbacks won, security was able to block any people from getting in contact with Duke players and staff as they left the court. Scheyer suggested better security measures need to be put in place to prevent incidents like Saturday from happening again. The ACC is one of a few conferences that doesn’t have any penalties or disciplinary protocol for fans rushing the court after games.
‘Bottom line. It was a failure,’ Scheyer said. ‘I think it’d be wrong for me not to speak up for all the student-athletes that can be put in this position, and something needs to change now before something serious happens.
‘This has to be prevented in the future.’
Kyle Filipowski injury update
Scheyer confirmed Filipowski hurt his knee during the court storming, but didn’t disclose the severity of it. He said the team is still awaiting medical results for the center, but he’s unsure if Filipowski is able to practice. Duke’s next game is at home on Wednesday against Louisville.
Filipowski has started every game for Duke this season and averages a team-high 16.9 points and 8.2 rebounds a game. The sophomore had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the loss to the Demon Deacons.
ACC coaches react on court storming
Other ACC coaches who spoke with the media shared their concerns with court storming, including Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton, who said ‘exceptional precaution’ needs to take place in the league. He suggested ways to address it involve fining schools that allow court storming, hoping it will lead to institutions to understand the dangers.
‘It’s time for us to have a real serious conversation,’ Hamilton said. ‘We can come up with something where we don’t have another incident like what has happened over the weekend.’
After the win Saturday, Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said he isn’t a fan of court stormings.
‘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,’ he said.