Duke basketball coaches and fans are urging the NCAA to further regulate court storming incidents after an injury occurred to a player Saturday following the Duke-Wake Forest game. Duke basketball player Kyle Filipowski was injured following Duke's loss to Wake Forest, 83-79, when fans took to the court.
Filipowski seemed to bang his leg against a fan who was on the floor after the Demon Deacons' win. The incident caused a great stir on social media, as basketball commentators also discussed how fans entering the basketball court can be better monitored.
“There has to be a plan to get the opposing players off the court safely. If there was then they failed today. That is the No. 1 priority. Full stop,” said basketball reporter Andy Katz. “Wouldn’t be surprised if this is the beginning of the end of court storming.”
The Duke-Wake Forest incident follows another mishap that occurred in women's basketball earlier this season, when Iowa guard Caitlin Clark collided with an Ohio State fan on the floor following Iowa's loss to the Buckeyes. Duke head coach Jon Scheyer referenced that incident on Saturday when discussing how protocols need to be changed.
“When are we going to ban court storming?” Scheyer asked after the game. “How many times does a player have to get into something where they get pushed, or they get punched, or they get taunted.”
Filipowski injured his ankle, Scheyer said. The Duke coach said he wasn't aware of the extent of the injury, following the game. Time will tell if court storming is regulated or banned following Saturday's unfortunate incident.