Act Like You’ve Been There Before
Serious question: When is it appropriate to storm the court? And when should you act like you’ve been there before? Classic case last night in Wake Forest’s victory over North Carolina in Wisntom-Salem – the Tar Heels went into the game ranked No. 3, the Demon Deacons No. 4. Maybe I’m just jaded at this point, but as the Wake student body rushed the floor as time expired I found myself thinking it was a little bush league.
Carolina isn’t exactly Bill Walton’s UCLA squad this season. They just came off a ridiculous loss to Boston College (my alma mater and a team that followed up their monumental upset of UNC with losses to Harvard and Miami at home). Wake and UNC are neck-and-neck in the rankings and they’re inter-league rivals. It’s not like they’ve never beaten Carolina in the past. I understand the general excitement, but in a college basketball world where the playing field is more level than it’s ever been, it feels like there should be something more at stake to warrant a “We Just Pulled Off a Massive Upset”-style celebration.
What do you think?
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January 12th, 2009 at 10:40 am
PWEEZY says:
gotta give it up sometime…must have been a really good pep rally before the game this stuff don’t fly in the nba security will pistol whip fans before they hit the court
January 12th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
The tie dye-like shirts that the Wake Forest fans/crowd had on where inappropriate and borderline offensive. And just straight ugly.
January 12th, 2009 at 10:44 am
G says:
I agree its a little much in this situation. Its almost like sending the message to the team that “we never thought we’d win.” Rushing the court is the anti-swag
January 12th, 2009 at 10:54 am
vinny says:
Damm when was the last time they beat nc? thats just ridiculous!!
January 12th, 2009 at 10:55 am
rob stewart says:
I think fans should rush the court more often. It’s part of what makes College basketball different from the NBA. I think the players understood this wasn’t a major upset but the fans are excited and want to feel like they are part of the game. I’m all for fans rushing the court.
January 12th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Sanpitch says:
i am ok with fans rushing the court. yeah they look like idiots and you should “act like you’ve been there before” but you got to realize that the student body doing all the “rushing” are 18-22. let ‘em have their fun.
January 12th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Zen Master says:
Give me a break! Despite how close they are in rankings the Tar Heals are basically everybody’s pick to be cutting the nets down in Motown. Huge win for Wake Forest let them have some fun with it.
January 12th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Dime Magazine says:
I know, that’s why I was asking the question. I felt like grinch hating on the college kids last night.
-PC
January 12th, 2009 at 11:01 am
J 694 says:
While at Clemson in ‘05-’06, our fans stormed the court after an OT win over an unranked, Chris Paul-less Wake Forest and a win over another unranked Maryland team who we had beat a few times in past few years. I don’t think I have ever been more embarrassed to be a fan of a team with fans like that.
However, Oliver Purnell is obviously doing a lot for the program and I am looking forward to the Wake game this weekend.
January 12th, 2009 at 11:04 am
GEE...got a little light under the sun! says:
Naw, PC you ain’t grinchin. I feel the same. It’s one of those things in 2009 that is becoming played out quick. Honestly if you are storming the field or court it should really be for something seriously dramatic.
I mean if you ranked in the TOP 5 you don’t storm. You didn’t pull off a major upset, you just beat another ranked team.
This ain’t like a HBCU beating a major powerhouse. THAT is a reason to storm the court.
But you know how it is, folks just want any reason to party. LOL.
Still at this point, as fun as it is to see, it’s still like come on. To me it’s right up there with NBA teams that have confetti coming down on a regular season game.
WTF?!?! You just beat the Bucks and you wanna have confetti? Come on, seriously?
January 12th, 2009 at 11:06 am
GEE...got a little light under the sun! says:
Are we gonna start poppin Champagne for undefeated pre-seasons now?
January 12th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Myrie says:
I don’t mind it at all.
I graduated St John’s University, and the student body was NEVER able to storm the court. MSG security would never allow it.
And I was enrolled at St. John’s in the Mike Jarvis–Ron Artest years when the team was good and winning.
More schools should allow the student body to rush storm the court.
Hell….if SJU beat Harvard tonight, I’d rush the court…
January 12th, 2009 at 11:33 am
D.Michael Lee says:
When you are Duke, UNC, or even UCLA, you don’t rush the court, because you have the banners hanging to prove it. Wake is having a great year, but they have really won nothing. So beating the favored Heels made sense to rush the court.
January 12th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
GEE...got a little light under the sun! says:
LOL so when and if Wake beats another worthy squad like Pitt (if they face them) or even perhaps UNC again if and when they face each other, …do they rush the court again?
For that matter why don’t they rush the court every game?
Sure it was a great win, but again it has happened before and in situations where Wake wasn’t even as good as they are now.
Save it for when it’s something really big. Critics on TV and in the paper were even predicting Wake to win in many areas.
Stay in your seat and sit down! LOL
Naw have fun, but fa real save that rushing for something Grand.
Although…I am sure they will rush the court then,..and another time…and another time ….and another
January 12th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
E$ says:
Wake is ranked, I can understand if they are not ranked
January 12th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Dre says:
This is article is exactly right.
January 12th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Shelton says:
Had Wake made a 50 footer to win the game, then I really wouldn’t have had a problem with fans storming the court. But that might be the only circumstance where it’s acceptable if you’re a ranked team.
January 12th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Boyd says:
I’m a big Wake Forest fan, ever since the days Tim Duncan graced his presence on the floor. In a #3 & #4 matchup, it does seem a little strange to rush the court, but it is a big victory. I sensed some definite hesitation from the fans, like should we…or should we not?
A lot of this has to do with the fact North Carolina is a powerhouse that is very easily hated, just like Duke. It would be interesting to see if Duke was ranked like #15 and beat a #2 NC team – would they storm the court. Or, in the case of later this year, if Wake remains to be higher on the charts than Duke when they play – will the students rush the court? Should be a spectacle to watch…
Good article though – intriguing thought!