Kansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self hopes college players and fans never square off like NBA players and fans did Friday night in Detroit.
Three Indiana Pacers headed into the stands to fight Pistons fans who doused Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest with a beverage.
“I think it could happen very easily. It could happen when fans rush the court,” Self said. “One student could be all fired up, run by a guy that’s frustrated and chicken wing him. The next thing you know you have a guy retaliating. I think there is the possibility of there being altercations if in fact you don’t have proper security.
“The other day, that was ludicrous,” Self added, noting Artest never should have jumped into the stands. “You have to be above that. What is sad is there are fans who would spit on opponents and throw things. That said, guys are paid a lot of money to represent their sport and franchise.”
KU senior Keith Langford said it was imperative that no players head into the crowd to fight a spectator because if one player enters the fray, others almost have to follow.
“Fans have to respect what goes on the court. Their job is to watch, not interact,” Langford said. “Jermaine O’Neal, Stephen Jackson, those guys (who followed Artest into the stands) … as a family it’s our duty as basketball players, no matter what anybody tells you, we’ve got to have his back. If one of my teammates runs up in the stands, it gets me in trouble, but basically I’m following right behind him.”
Yet that doesn’t mean anybody has to throw punches.
“I don’t think that would happen in college,” Langford said, “because they don’t sell alcohol at the games. Only a handful of fans are really crazy enough to do something like that.”
