Wichita State goes proactive to discourage fans from rushing onto court

Wichita State officials will discourage court-storming on Saturday for its game against No. 10 Northern Iowa. Its approach is to talk to the students before the game and make a pitch for calm, in case the Shockers win.

“We obviously strongly, strongly discourage that,” associate athletic director Brad Pittman said. “The last thing anybody wants to do is hurt anybody. We want to be good hosts to our visitors.”

WSU administrators will circulate through the student section before the game to talk about the dangers and get a feel for the mood on rushing the court. Their first selling point will be the senior festivities following the game, a tactic they used successfully last year. WSU will honor seniors Tekele Cotton and Darius Carter after the game and delays could alter or jeopardize those plans.

Pittman also emphasized the danger to students posed by the rail that separates the stands from the court. He will tell students that the jump is dangerous and the people in the front of the crowd are in jeopardy of getting pushed forward by fans at the top of the arena.

Should it appear necessary, Pittman said WSU has plans to escort the visiting team and officials off the court safely.

This story was originally published February 24, 2015 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Wichita State goes proactive to discourage fans from rushing onto court."