Duke star Kyle Filipowski was injured when getting caught up in a court storm by Wake Forest students after the Deacs knocked off the Blue Devils at home, his head coach Jon Scheyer said after the game.
As the suddenly-sprinting throng of students made its way onto the court, Filipowski — who appeared to be the furthest Duke player from the bench — was caught in the rush of bodies and came out of the scrum surrounded by Duke personnel helping him limp off of the court.
"That should not happen. That right there is why court-storming should not happen."
ESPN's Mike Monaco weighs in on court-storming after Duke's Kyle Filipowski hurt following Wake Forest's upset win over Duke. pic.twitter.com/cUf1G8EYw0
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 24, 2024
Jon Scheyer just texted to confirm/correct his postgame comments: Kyle Filipowski suffered a knee injury, not an ankle, during the court-storm.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 24, 2024
It’s unlikely the practice of court-storming will be banned, but it is possible to see some tweaks. Pundits can sound like overly-concerned parents when warning of the dangers (particularly to opposing players) of jubilant college students rushing the court after a big win.
But between the incident with Filipowski and Caitlin Clark getting caught up in a court storm earlier this season, there may momentum growing towards either banning court storms altogether or doing more to make them safer. Scheyer, unsurprisingly, would be in favor.
This gotta change…
— Kyle “Flip” Filipowski (@kylefilipowski) February 24, 2024
“When are we going to ban court storming?”
Jon Scheyer on Kyle Filipowski spraining his ankle in the court storming at Wake Forest, and he also points to what happened to Caitlin Clark at Ohio State, a month ago. pic.twitter.com/VCdMJXRywl
— Will Dalton (@thewilldalton) February 24, 2024
Even when all college students involved have the best of intentions, crowd control and security are concerns. There were no visible Wake Forest security guards even close to Filipowski. But add pregame alcohol consumption and general bad feelings to the mix, and the question of a player getting hurt has always felt like a ‘when’ more than an ‘if’.
The No. 8 Blue Devils had won five in a row before the loss at Wake Forest, which got a huge win to solidify its NCAA Tournament at-large case.
