UCSB issued a statement on Friday regarding an on-court incident involving a fan at the Thunderdome on Thursday night. (Presidio Sports Photo)
UCSB issued a statement regarding Thursday night’s incident at the Thunderdome, where a fan ran onto the court during the men’s basketball against Hawai’i, yelled in the face of Hawai’i coach Gib Arnold and taunted the players before running back into the stands.
The fan was apprehended and arrested. [VIDEO]
The statement:
On behalf of the UCSB student-athletes and staff, we are disappointed and saddened by the singular act of a student during the first half of last night’s men’s basketball game versus Hawai’i. We have apologized to Hawai’i athletics director Ben Jay and Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell. Head Coach Bob Williams also apologized to Hawai’i head coach Gib Arnold on behalf of the department.
The safety of all student-athletes, coaches and fans is paramount to us and we are reviewing the night and solidifying event protocol in hopes of preventing any one person from repeating this incident.
This one person’s selfish act does not represent the passionate atmosphere our students display. We also note there were no incidents before, during or after the game by the students or anyone else. We have great respect for Hawai’i, its fans and student-athletes. In particular, we appreciate that the UH players and coaching staff handled the situation with class when engaging the student.
