Coach K, Mason Plumlee talk court storming safety after Virginia loss
Following Duke’s 73-68 loss to Virginia on Thursday night, the Cavaliers’ student section rushed onto the court as soon as the final buzzer rang, giving neither team ample time to prepare for the masses that flocked to the hardwood...
“Just get our team off the court, and our coaching staff, before students come on,” Krzyzewski said.
The two key issues—players’ and staff safety and players’ reactions—seemed to be ignored by the Virginia security, as fans were allowed to rush the court from all angles, including the Duke bench’s side...
There also is another variable in the court-storming safety equation—the reaction of Duke players. It’s potentially volatile for the players to be in that situation following an unexpected road loss in which emotions were running high.
“If they run at us, it’s fair game. We’re just protecting ourselves,” senior Mason Plumlee said...
You're a 7'1" division 1 athlete... you can't take some nerdy undergrads jumping up and down around you?
Back in the middle of January, the WSJ wrote a little-heralded piece about Duke and fans storming the cour actually. Full story here.
At that point in time (as the Virginia game increases this number now), Duke had lost 31 true road games in the last decade, and opposing fans had stormed the court on 25 of those occasions. I do agree with the safety concerns that Coach K mentioned, but he also had this to say back in January after the loss to NC State:
""That's a sign of respect, a sign that it means something," said Krzyzewski, whose team slid to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll.
Perhaps amusingly, one of the fanbases to NOT storm the court after beating Duke? Ohio State fans did not do this after their win over Duke last season in the Big Ten / ACC Challenge.
I'm all for the safety of the coaches and players. But seriously:
While they raise potentially valid concerns, if you watch last night's court storming you see that the yellow-coated arena staff form a line that protects the teams and allows them to do the handshakes with the opponents and walk umolested off the court from the teeming masses on the other side of the yellow coated line. Plumlee, in particular, is highlighted as walks morosely down the line, totally unharassed by the fans. In fairness to Coach K and Plumlee, it is possible they did not volunteer their comments, but were responding to questions from the media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29O52TBHKoE
I can't believe this is even a thread. It was a non issue last night and Virginia security did a great job worth copying at other schools. Sore losers or media asking stupid questions after the game? Not sure I wasn't there...
Thank you, I was just going to post the same. The wall of yellow-clad security guys is very, very hard to miss. Coach K is out of line and being a sore-assed twat about this; that line of yellow was getting onto the court from both ends the instant the buzzer went off and the Duke team was behind it the entire time.
I understand he's a little sore too about having some things yelled at him after the game by some fans. The irony of that can't possibly be understated.
Of all people, Seth Greenberg (former VT coach) had UVA's back on this one. He pointed out that at Duke when they do their little hand-wavy thing, they're usually just inches from a player's head. It's a little different, but in the end Coach K's got no leg to stand on whatsoever. "Oh, I don't want to take anything away from UVA's win," he says....c'mon. He knows what he's doing.
The current method of protecting the teams, but letting the fans storm the court is the safer approach. They used to try and stop fans from storming the field after football games, but changed the protocol when several Wisconsin fans were critically injured from getting trampled when they were prevented from getting onto the field after a win over Michigan in 1993.
It was because they were trampled and pushed up and crushed against a fence that collapsed.
A fence that was there to keep fans from coming on to the field. It has since been taken down.
It's not joy, it's "I want to be on tv and be part of it." They're not hitting buzzer beaters and charging the court with emotions bursting. At least two of the games this week announcers were saying with a minute left in the game "hey, get ready, they're going to storn the court" because they were patiently lining up in the aisles to get on it, and waiting for the game to end. That's not emotion, it's ego.
Jon Falk was trampled and his glasses crushed one time down in Columbus. People are getting pushed, shoved, people getting in their face saying crass things bolstered by alcohol and thinking "they can't do anything to me, they're 'famous'", and people do get hurt.
There's really no reason to be on the field. You're not part of the game, as much as you may want to be. Should have gotten a scholarship. After everyone is off you want to hold a celebration? Fine, that's up to the instution. But till the people who belong there are gone your ticket doesn't give you a right to join them.
Sorry if it takes some of the fun out of college athletics, but people haven't shown they can sober or human enough to be given the benefit of the doubt anymore.
Could you imagine if M had the dominant hoops team and MSU were to rush the court at Breslin with our players out there? The danger inherent in that juggalo mosh pit would be very real.
just get a bubble tunnel set up before the game ends