One Kentucky State basketball fan took the sixth-man crowd effect way too far.
A man in street clothes ran out of the stands and tried to block a fastbreak layup from Morehouse’s Eric Jones at the rim, according to a report and video from HBCU Gameday. Jones converted the basket, and the man ran off the court and disappeared around a bend as stunned players and coaches looked on from the bench.
The play didn’t effect the game’s outcome as it happened in the final minute and Jones’ layup accounted for the final points in a 91-56 victory.
So, he was no Dikembe Mutombo blocking a shot and wagging a finger.
Of course, on a serious note, it raises questions about security and player safety. The attendance at the William Exum HPER Center in Frankfort, Ky., was 715, according to the box score.
The box score and game recap on Morehouse athletics website make no mention of the bizarre play or any official ruling that happened because of it.
It is not the first time that something strange happened this season in a men’s basketball game involving Morehouse, which was the opponent on Jan. 31 when Tuskegee coach Benjy Taylor was handcuffed after confronting a security officer during the postgame handshake line.
Taylor claimed he was requesting that Morehouse’s football players be removed from the court while they were “yelling obscenities.”
It is unclear whether the unidentified man was ever tracked down and disciplined, and it does not appear that officials from either school have commented on the incident.
Morehouse and Kentucky State are members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA Division II level.
