Andy Staples gives warning on court storming following incident with Caitlin Clark

In the aftermath of the Iowa’s overtime loss at Ohio State on Sunday, a fan knocked Caitlin Clark over in the midst of a court-storming inside Value City Arena. Now, with the moment going viral for all the wrong reasons, On3’s Andy Staples hopes that fans don’t start costing themselves the chance to have that experience whenever it comes up.

Staples addressed the collision during his show on Sunday. While he was glad that all parties were all right in the end, he warned fans that this is the sort of event that could lead to a ban on storming, whether on a field or a court. It’s a celebration but could prove to be too dangerous to the student-athletes and programs if not done appropriately.

“This is why you have, like, the SEC constantly saying we have to stiffen the penalties for court and field stormings because we can’t have something happen,” Staples said. “Now, fortunately, Caitlin Clark was okay. But you guys have got to be careful when you’re storming courts or storming fields or they’re going to do something about it. Or they’re going to ban it.”

“I’m not the fun police. Like, I would like you to be able to do this. I think it’s awesome, the visual is cool. I’ve been on the field a bunch of times when the field has been stormed,” Staples said. “Most people are just trying to have a good time. But I will tell you that the best thing to do, if you are doing that, is stay away from any players, whether they’re your team’s players or the other team’s players but especially the other team’s players.”

Staples biggest piece of advice as part of his cautionary message is to put the phones down. While it might be neat to have that video, it causes too much of a distraction considering it’s a moment that they can remember in their head.

“Pay attention. You don’t need to be filming this on your phone as you’re running out onto the court or onto field. You can remember it. Just remember it,” said Staples. “I know that’s hard for that generation to understand but there are times where you can just remember the thing and you don’t have to have a video of it on your phone. You can tell the story and the story will be great.”

Staples continued by noting how fortunate it was that everyone, specifically Clark, was okay. That’s especially so considering the superstar that she currently is for college basketball.

“This person was really lucky that they didn’t injure Caitlin Clark,” Staples said. “The reason the arena was packed at Ohio State was because Caitlin Clark was there. She’s selling out every arena in the Big Ten. She’s making money for every school in the Big Ten. It’s bad for business if you injure Caitlin Clark.”

Clark finished the eight-point loss in Columbus with 45 points, including seven threes, to go with seven assists. It became the highest-scoring game of her senior season so far. It also tied for the second-most points in the career of the reigning National Player of the Year. However, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Buckeyes as they handed the second-ranked Hawkeyes their second defeat of the season.

Staples isn’t at all opposed to fans enjoying a victory. It’s something that, when it happens, shows how special college athletics can be. It’s just that, when you do so, you need to do it responsibly or else it the powers that be might remove it altogether.

“When you go on the field or the court? Remember – that’s their territory,” said Staples. “Leave them alone, do not touch them, stay away from them, and you do not need to record it with your phone. Just run, cheer, have fun with your friends, and remember it.”

“Follow these simple rules and none of this will get banned,” Staples closed. “That’s why you’ve got to be careful there. Or something that’s fun and something we love seeing might get taken away from you.”