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Duke basketball star Kyle Filipowski scratched his knee after Wake Forest fans stormed the floor following the Demon Deacons' recent win over the eighth-ranked Blue Devils. Shortly after a collision left him limping on the field, Filipowski called for more protection for players.
“I'm just trying to get off the field, and you know, these crazy college students just do whatever they want. When something like that happens, you have to provide a little more protection,” the Duke star noted.
Court storms have been widely discussed in the days since Duke's visit to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Illinois coach Brad Underwood recently participated in OutKick's “Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich,” and while he didn't mind students and fans storming the court, he did share Filipowski's sentiments about adopting more advanced protective measures.
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Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood watches the action during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the United Center on March 9, 2023 in Chicago. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
“For me it’s all about the experience,” Underwood said when asked to give his perspective on the courthouse storm. “I think there has to be a plan to replace the players. And I think you have to pay attention to where the student sections are.”
ESPN's JAY BILAS suggests serious consequences for fans who storm the pitch
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Underwood acknowledged that Illinois fans sprinted onto the court after a big win. He also pointed out that there is certainly a fine line when it comes to thousands of enthusiastic fans wanting to storm a basketball court.
“We conducted a court storm here. This is what has been done to us. The thing that scares me the most today is that sometimes we feel so much anger and hatred that it really hurts someone… and I think we have to be really sensitive about that.”
“For me, college is about creating memories, and so many memories of sporting events… so it’s a fine line.”
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Illinois head coach Brad Underwood yells at a referee during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Maryland on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, in Champaign, Illinois. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Filipowski recalled how he felt about the moment of collusion and said he believed the physical contact that led to his injury was “intentional.”
“I felt a lot of hits on my body,” Filipowski told WFMY-TV of the events that led to a knee injury. “That was the worst of them. Like I said, the way this situation is being handled is just ridiculous. I've already heard that there are some videos of (me) being hit in the back, so I definitely feel like it was personal and certainly intentional. There's no reason why they see a big guy like me trying to work his way off the field and can't work his way past me. There is no excuse for that.”
Wake Forest Demon Deacons students storm the court after Wake Forest defeated the Duke Blue Devils at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. (Cory Knowlton-USA TODAY Sports)
Although it is unclear whether the fan's contact was malicious, one of the videos Filipowski may have been referring to appeared to show the moment of his injury as Wake Forest fans rushed toward center court. Another angle of the scene shows several fans near the free throw line before the game clock officially reads zero.
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The Atlantic Coast Conference requires member schools to have detailed security procedures in place to deal with court storms. However, no fines have been imposed in the past, which is the case in four of the six major basketball conferences for a first offense – for example, the Southeastern Conference fined LSU $100,000 after their fans shouted after the win about a Kentucky team storming the court last week.
It's unclear whether the ACC will fine Wake Forest.
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Later Saturday evening, Wake Forest athletics director John Currie issued a statement saying he expressed his “regret” over the incident to Duke athletics director Nina King and Atlantic Coast Conference associate commissioner Paul Brazeau expressed.
“Although our event management and security staff had rehearsed post-match procedures to protect the visiting team and officials, we clearly need to do better,” Currie said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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