News Headlines

UVa Athletic Director Talks About Court Storming

Posted: 11:43 AM Mar 1, 2013

March 1, 2013

Cavalier fans stormed the basketball court after UVa beat rival Duke, causing some to worry about safety and security.

University of Virginia's Athletic Director Craig Littlepage responded to those worries and criticisms on Friday, assuring that procedures were in place.

Littlepage says that he had communicated with staff and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski about how to prepare and handle the crowds.

Below is Littlepage's full statement:

“Based on what I've seen (on video tape) and what I've heard from staff, we had a plan developed for post game situations like this and the plan was followed. Our plan was communicated to Coach K with specific mention of a 'safe zone' in front of the team bench/scorer's table in the event the court was rushed. It appears our staff did its job of getting the personnel from Duke to the safe zone. It took approximately 1 minute to get Duke's team to its locker room following the handshakes.”