Hubert Davis addresses court storming following Kyle Filipowski incident

The North Carolina Tar Heels took care of business on Saturday afternoon, picking up the 54-44 victory over Virginia on the road. It is North Carolina’s first win at Virginia in over a decade. However, instead of answering strictly questions on the Tar Heels’ huge victory, head coach Hubert Davis was saddled with addressing the incident that happened in Wake Forest’s upset victory over Duke.

After Wake Forest upset Duke at home, 83-79, the Blue Devils forward Kyle Filipowski was injured as Demon Deacon fans rushed the court. And when asked to share his thoughts about the incident, Davis eloquently sidestepped it and explained why.

“Yeah, I would like to stay away from that. The incident that you’re talking about, I wasn’t at that game [and] I haven’t seen any clips of it. So, I think it’d be negligent on my part to comment on something I know nothing about in general,” said Davis.

Since Davis was unwilling to address that particular incident, the reporter redirected the question, gauging whether or not he was ever concerned for his players’s safety or his own during an opposing team’s court storming.

“It’s not something I really think about,” Davis responded. “As the head coach at the University of North Carolina, I have a lot of things on my plate, and I don’t really have room for that to be on my plate.”

Duke player or not, it is unfortunate when a player is injured in circumstances such as Filipowski’s. However, Davis did not see the incident for himself and chose not to address something he was unfamiliar with. Even more so, as the North Carolina head coach pointed out, he has other things on his plate to be concerned with as the head coach of the Tar Heels than court storming according to him.

ACC releases statement on court storming following Filipowski injury

In light of a viral Filipowski injury in the wake of a post-game court storming following the Duke–Wake Forest game, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips has released a statement. He made sure to note that player safety is the most important concern, adding that the ACC intends to discuss the situation with both the Blue Devils and Demon Deacons.

“The safety of our student-athletes is always our top priority,” the statement read. “We have been and will continue to be, in contact with both Duke and Wake Forest regarding what happened following today’s game. Across college athletics, we have seen far too many of these incidents that put individuals at serious risk, and it will require the cooperation of all – including spectators – to ensure everyone’s well-being.

“As a conference, we will continually assess with our schools the best way to protect our student-athletes, coaches, and fans.”

The incident occurred in the moments directly after Wake Forest secured an 83-79 upset of No. 8 Duke.

Thrilled with the win, fans immediately stormed the court from both baselines. As they did, a fan ran past Duke center Kyle Filipowski and seemingly taunted him, losing his footing in the process.

It appeared that Filipowski got tangled up and potentially turned his ankle, but he came up immediately favoring his right leg. He was quickly surrounded by teammates and Duke staffers, who helped usher him off the court.