Filipowski Incident Intensifies Debate on Court Storming

The Wake Forest men’s basketball team upset No. 8 Duke on Saturday, edging out the Blue Devils 83-79. However, the main story in this one occurred just after the final buzzer sounded. As Duke star Kyle Filipowski started to make his way off, he was injured in a collision with a fan who was part of the “court storming.”

Here’s the overhead angle of the Kyle Filipowski court storming collision. pic.twitter.com/qEwG2zOPM2

— CBB Content (@CBBcontent) February 24, 2024

The Filipowski court storming incident is the most recent of numerous incidents involving court storming in the past decade. This has sparked the debate: Should court storming be banned?

The Current Rules

Many conferences have worked to halt court storming, with varying levels of fines and repercussions for teams whose fans rush the floor.

The SEC imposes a $100,000 fine for a school’s first incident of court storming. Fines increase for repeat offenders. There is a $250,000 fine for the second offense and a fine of $500,000 for the third. The Pac-12 has similar rules, with the fines increasing for each incident. The Big 10 fines only after a school’s third offense, and the ACC does not currently impose any fines or disciplinary action.

And while there are no rules in place against court storming in the conference, ESPN’s Seth Greenberg blames Wake Forest for its handling of the situation.

While the question of who to blame can be up for debate, many think that court storming is dangerous, including Duke head coach Jon Scheyer.

From the Coach’s Perspective

With Duke being a perennial powerhouse in men’s basketball, they are no stranger to court storming when they lose. Scheyer, who played for the team from 2006-2010, gave his thoughts on the situation.

And after Saturday’s incident, Scheyer made it clear where he stands in the debate.

Filipowski’s collision is not the only court-storming incident this year. In January, Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark collided with an Ohio State fan during the Buckeyes’ celebration.

With the issue brought to the spotlight again, the debate intensifies on whether or not court storming should be banned.