LAWRENCE, Kan. — On Monday, Jon Scheyer, Bill Self and other college basketball leaders called for a ban on court storming in college basketball due to safety concerns and potential legal impacts for athletes and students.
The conversation about court storming escalated over the weekend after Duke star Kyle Filipowski was bumped by Wake Forest fans who spilled onto the floor following the Demon Deacons’ 83-79 win over the Blue Devils on Saturday. That incident unfolded just weeks after a fan ran into women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark after Iowa’s upset loss at Ohio State.
On the ACC media teleconference call on Monday, Scheyer said the ACC should implement a court-storming ban now and not wait to address the issue this offseason. He said Filipowski avoided major injury during the court-storming incident but was “a little bit sore” on Monday. Scheyer initially said Filipowski had suffered an ankle injury. The projected lottery pick in this summer’s NBA draft was carried off the court by his teammates after the collision.
Eleven conferences — the Atlantic 10, Big East, Big South, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Pac-12, WAC, Southeastern and West Coast — recently told ESPN that the home school for a court storm could be subject to a fine under certain circumstances.
The ACC does not issue fines for court storming, and a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Associated Press that the league does not intend to fine Wake Forest for Saturday’s incident.
“Absolutely we shouldn’t wait until next year, something should be done right now,” Scheyer said during the ACC call. “At the end of the day, players and coaches and officials are the only people that belong on a court.”
Self said he has witnessed the safety issues firsthand during multiple court storms after road losses throughout his career.
In 2012, Self had to help referee Darron George off the court after he suffered a broken arm as Iowa State fans stormed the floor following an upset over the Jayhawks. In 2015, a Kansas State fan bumped former Kansas forward Jamari Traylor during another court storm after an upset of Kansas.
“Let’s get rid of it, totally,” Self told ESPN on Monday. “I don’t see the positive impact from a visual standpoint. Our game has excitement and people are…
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