Court storming becomes nationwide debate

Author: Zach Oliveri
Published: Updated:

After Florida Gulf Coast picked up one of the biggest wins in program history, students stormed the court at Alico Arena. They celebrated the Eagles’ win over No. 7 Florida Atlantic in December. A memorable moment for the players as well.

“They’ll have that moment forever for the rest of their lives,” FGCU men’s basketball head coach Pat Chambers said. “And can’t take that away from them.”

This tradition in college athletics is now the subject of debate. It started when Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark collided with a fan who was storming the court after Iowa’s upset loss at Ohio State in January.

Then, it gained more traction when Wake Forest upset Duke at home last month. As fans rushed the court, some fans ran into Duke star Kyle Filipowski, who had to be helped off the floor with an ankle injury.

After the game, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer had strong words against the tradition.

“When are we gonna ban court storming?,” Scheyer said. “Like when are we gonna ban that? Like how many times does a player have to get into something where they get punched or they get pushed or they get taunted right in their face?”

Chambers doesn’t support a ban, but feels measures can be taken to make it safe, especially when looking at what happened at Wake Forest.

“I felt like the security needs to take hold sooner as you see it percolating and brewing, you need to start putting security around,” Chambers said. “And you need to start advising the opponent hey we’re going to get you out this way and make sure everyone’s off the floor.”

He saw that when he was at Penn State when they knocked off No. 4 Michigan at home in 2013.

“I think we got the bench guys out of there when they finished the game,” Chambers recalled. “And then the buzzer went off and they all ran security had basically had them covered up.”

From Happy Valley to Southwest Florida, Chambers said those scenes create belief.

“It’s a part of the game,” Chambers said. “And to take it away, you’re stealing the joy for the players that won the game.”

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