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Holly Rowe says K-State court storm was ‘polite’

By FanSided Staff

Feb 24, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; ESPN announcer Holly Rowe displays the championship rings prior to the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2014; Lawrence, KS, USA; ESPN announcer Holly Rowe displays the championship rings prior to the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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In a discussion on the Dan Patrick Show, ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe talks about her experience with the court storm after Kansas State’s upset over Kansas.

After Kansas State defeated rival school Kansas Monday night, overly excited Wildcat fans stormed the court leading to a bit of controversy. Video footage showed fans colliding with KU staff and fans creating a seemingly unsafe environment.

However, ESPN sideline reporter, Holly Rowe, said that the crowd on the court was “polite.”

On the Dan Patrick show, Rowe spook out about the incident.

"“It was pretty physical. The kids were nice,” Rowe said. “But I did just watch the replay of what happened at the scorers table with Bill Self and that was kind of scary.”"

Rowe is referring to Bill Self being pinned up against the scorers table next to opposing coach Bruce Weber. Self was less than pleased in a post game interview having some very strong words about the K-State fan’s actions.

"“It’s fine if you want to celebrate when you bet us, that’s your business,” Self said. “But it shouldn’t put anybody at risk from a safety standpoint. Someone is going to hit a player, the player is going to retaliate, your’e going to have lawsuits- it’s not right.”"

Another violent moment that bubbled over during the chaos was a Jayhawk assistant coach putting a student in a head lock.

Despite all the controversy that came out of last night, Holly Rowe is a court-storming supporter.

"“I love it (court storming),” Rowe said. “There is a part of me that loves the spontaneous joy and eruption… I want the kids to have fun.”"

Court storming is a tradition in college sports that typically happens during an upset or rivalry win. Monday night filled both those credentials for the Wildcats.

The same thing happened last year on February 10th when K-State beat the Jayhawks. The atmosphere was extremely chaotic. So intense that Rowe stepped up on the scorers table for safety, where she did the post game interviews as the players joined her.

The NCAA may have some decisions to make regarding rules on court-storming. The safety of players and coaches should be of utmost importance at the end of games. Nonetheless, as Rowe herself pointed out, they do provide the audience with a little extra entertainment at the end of games and are a blast for the winning team’s student body.

As we enter March, small schools who are looking to sneak into the NCAA tournament may see some court-storming fans if they gain a berth or upset a highly favored team. Hopefully for everyone involved, a medium can be reached between safety and fun so everyone can be a winner during an upset in March.

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