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Writer's pictureGeorge Hathaway

OPINION: Is it Time to Ban Court Storming?

On Saturday, Wake Forest upset 5th-ranked Duke 79-83. As a school does after defeating a ranked team at home, the Demon Deacon fans stormed the court to celebrate. But, during Saturday's court storming, Duke's Kyle Filipowski was injured after Wake Forest students ran into him.


Filipowski took to X following the game to express his frustration:

Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer was not happy postgame.


"When are we going to ban court stormings?" Scheyer asked the media.


Scheyer's question is valid, as this has been an issue for college basketball for the last 10 years. Wake Forest AD John Currie responded to Scheyer in a statement released Saturday Evening:


"I appreciate the postgame comments of Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer and I am in complete agreement that something more must be done about the national phenomenon of court and field storming and Wake Forest looks forward to being a part of those conversations."

It's not that court storming should be removed from the tradition of College Basketball, but how it is handled. Wait 30 seconds with the use of the shot clock to set a timer to ensure players safety from both the winning and losing team. Having ample security in front of the student sections will ensure that they do not storm until the court is empty.


Court storming is a tradition that students have to show excitement. There is nothing wrong with it, but the safety of players comes first. There is a lot of passion that comes from students and fans alike when it comes to their school. It should not be banned, but should be protected so everyone is safe. It will be interesting to see what the NCAA does in the coming days and weeks to prevent future incidents.

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