Getty Image / Grant Halverson
Storming the court has been a huge part of college basketball for generations. So many people have fond memories of storming the court after huge wins, and it’s something truly ingrained in American sports culture.
Not for much longer, though, if Duke stooges like Jay Bilas get their way. After an incident involving Duke star Kyle Filipowski after the Blue Devils were beaten by Wake Forest on Saturday, he wants legal action taken against court-stormers.
Wake Forest beat Duke, 83-79, on Saturday, in a great win that probably cemented them in March Madness, barring a truly epic collapse down the stretch. Their students were excited, as they should be! Duke is a longtime tobacco road rival, and the only people that have warm feelings towards Duke are Duke fans.
So, Wake Forest stormed the court, just as thousands and thousands of college students have before.
Duke’s Kyle Filipowski appears to get injured amid the court-storming by Wake Forest students. pic.twitter.com/Rn0v39ayZS
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 24, 2024
Duke star forward Kyle Filipowski was caught up in the storming, and ultimately suffered an injury as a result of the incident. Take a look.
ESPN just showed a new angle of the court-storming at Wake Forest where Duke's Kyle Filipowski was injured. Can clearly see where he hurts his knee as a fan taunts him while racing to midcourt. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/ABAsKC2kTI
— Kyle Boone (@kyletheboone) February 24, 2024
Ok, that’s unfortunate. But, Filipowski wasn’t exactly moving at lightning speed to get off the court. And, we’ve had hundreds of successful court-stormings in history. Duke coach Jon Scheyer didn’t see it that way, though.
Naturally, Scheyer, as president of the no-fun club that is yuppie Duke basketball, called for a ban on court storming. Luckily for him, I have a solution to make sure no one ever storms the court against the Blue Devils again. Duke could simply win the games against teams with vastly inferior talent, thus preventing court-stormings. Seems simple.
But, that’s not enough for Duke alum Jay Bilas. Instead, he wants those who storm the court to face legal repercussions for the act.
ESPN's Jay Bilas on court storming: "If they wanted to stop it, they could stop it tomorrow… You don't have to stop the court storming. One time, all you have to do is once they're on the court, don't let them off. Just say, 'You're all detained' and give them all citations or… pic.twitter.com/Bdbb0SZTDy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 26, 2024
I actually like Jay Bilas, but this is a truly horrific take. It’s especially funny when you consider the behavior of the Cameron Crazies, who overhang their seats onto the court and make contact with players all the time who are trying to inbound the ball. Arresting college kids for storming the court is a hilarious overreaction for something that for many was only a problem once it negatively impacted Duke.
Frankly, every school that beats Duke for the next twenty years should obnoxiously storm the court. Duke’s 15-12 and going to be an NIT team? Storm the court against them. Remind them that the enjoyment of college basketball doesn’t revolve around the Blue Devils.