On January 26th, Haverford basketball closed out an upset victory at home against William Penn Charter, finishing 51-50 in a tough Inter-Academic League matchup. The game was headlined by a strong performance from Third Former Silas Graham, Fifth Formers K.J. Carson and Jacob Becker, and Sixth Former Billy Rayer.
“It felt great to get that win and have our first Friday night home game in the [Inter-Academic League] go how it went,” Rayer said. “Penn Charter is a really good team, and we’re super happy with the outcome.”
According to the players, the Haverford student fan section—consisting of about 120 students—played a key role in the team’s victory.
“The environment was awesome,” Rayer said. “[The student section was] loud and energetic, and it honestly made the game more fun for us and gave us a spark — just seeing all your brothers in the stands supporting you.”
Athletic Director Mr. Michael Murphy agreed.
“For an hour and a half, [the game was] probably one of the best atmospheres that I’ve seen here at Haverford,” Murphy said. “We had our songs going, our chants going and it was an unbelievable atmosphere. I’m fully convinced that it led to our boys competing the way that we competed and ultimately winning that game.”
“For an hour and a half, [the game was] probably one of the best atmospheres that I’ve seen here at Haverford.”
Mr. Michael Murphy
Despite the atmosphere created by the student section, the controlled environment quickly transitioned. After Penn Charter passed in the ball with only a few seconds left in the game, they missed a potentially game-winning shot which allowed Haverford to keep their one-point advantage and end the game 51-50. When the buzzer ran out, Haverford’s student section—all wearing white togas—rushed to the court to celebrate with the team, specifically against Athletic Director Mr. Murphy’s instruction.
“I directly looked at the guys and gave a directive saying, we’re not doing this,” Mr. Murphy said. “Then we went and did it, and it’s kind of like, ‘We’re gonna do what we wanna do.’ I think there’s a problem in that for us as an institution right then and there.”
Mr. Murphy believed that the game’s outcome didn’t warrant a substantial event such as storming the court—a scenario only reasonable in a more significant game.
“I think [it’s justified] after something like EA Day, winning a championship game, or something like that,” Mr. Murphy said. “And even then, you know, we should make sure that we do it right. We give people space, let the team shake hands, whatever it may be, then recognize our Fords for their effort.”
The student body’s process of storming the court also interrupted a key part of the aftermath of the game: players acknowledging one another’s performances and giving each other respect.
“We project a lot of insecurity and that shows an underlying issue in the community, and that makes us look like doofuses, wannabe thugs, and that is so ‘aspirational,’ and pitiful.”
Luke Fesnek ’24
“We immediately [went] over into what I think is something that is very unique and special about sports, which is a handshake line, which is where we acknowledge, ‘Hey, we just competed for an hour and did a great job. Way to go,’” Murphy said. “We inserted ourselves into that process.”
To Honor Council Chairman Luke Fesnak, the student section’s behavior is deteriorating.
“We as a community are sort of straying towards a sense of entitlement,” Fesnak said. “We as fans think we have the right to go to every game and as teams think we deserve the right to have fans come to every game. I think the students feel too empowered to do what they want, to give off this tough-guy facade.”
Moreover, Fesnak believes that the poor behavior could be coming from something deeper.
“I feel like we as a community project a lot,” Fesnak said. “We project a lot of insecurity and that shows an underlying issue in the community, and that makes us look like doofuses, wannabe thugs, and that is so ‘aspirational,’ and pitiful.”
Student Body President Asa Winikur agreed that the decision to storm the court was a poor one, fueled by misjudgment—something relying on the leadership of the Sixth Form.
“We were told not to storm the court, and we did,” Winikur said. “That was wrong, and I can take responsibility for that, as I was directly told not to.”
However, Sixth Formers in the front row of the student section raised a counterpoint that Mr. Murphy’s instruction to not storm the court wasn’t received by the whole student body—just several students in the front row.
“A guy in the second or third row had literally zero control over what happened and were not in the wrong,” Winikur said.
In addition to the student section going against Mr. Murphy’s directive, there were several incidents after the game involving Haverford students taunting opposing players and fans on campus, resulting in Penn Charter families feeling unsafe.
Following the Friday night events, administrators spent the next week holding meetings both between faculty and with various Sixth Form leaders to discuss the steps moving forward and to listen to students’ perspectives. Topics of discussion included dissecting the root cause of the events, safety concerns on campus, and general ways to remedy and move forward with the situation.
“We had a meeting with Mr. Casertano, Mr. Kolade, and Mr. Fifer, which was really productive,” Winkur said. “Seniors [in the front row] had offered to take the detentions or, you know, miss a game, and the school denied that. Seniors, on paper, took responsibility for that, but for whatever reason, the school did not want to do that.”
After the initial meeting, Sixth Form student council members followed up the next day with Mr. Fifer and Mr. Kolade to discuss the steps that would be taken. There, the following directives were announced: Sixth Formers who attended the Friday night basketball game against Penn Charter would not be allowed to attend any of Haverford’s athletic events on Friday, February 3, including the hockey game and wrestling senior night. There would be no student section theme, and students would not be allowed inside the locker room before or after the game.
“I don’t think it was necessarily the right move,” Winikur said. “I have respect for Mr. Casertano, Mr. Fifer, and Mr. Kolade, and I think we can disagree with each other without having a hindered relationship. But, once again, I think that just the front row should have been punished.”
Winikur, along with other Sixth Form leaders, offered an alternative punishment during the meeting with Sixth Formers and administration: several seniors taking detentions to acknowledge their mistakes.
“We basically all agreed that if we had screamed out and told [the student section] not to storm, we don’t think they would have stormed,” Winikur said. “And yes, it’d suck that we couldn’t go to the Malvern game, but we thought it’d be way more fair for us. If we want to be able to call ourselves leaders: when things go wrong, we have to be leaders too.”
However, the administration denied their request.
“[That] consequence didn’t match the disrespect—the blatant disregard for a rule—that was issued,” Mr. Kolade said. “[Having several seniors take detentions] didn’t feel like the equivalent of that, and it didn’t feel right.”
“[That] consequence didn’t match the disrespect—the blatant disregard for a rule—that was issued.”
Mr. Luqman Kolade
Sixth Form wrestling captain Daniel Kaiser voiced disagreements with the overarching nature of the punishment for the form and how it affected the other events that night. For the wrestling team, February 3rd was their senior night—a wrestling match against the Episcopal Academy—during which they’d rely on a fan presence to boost morales.
“I think that the punishment that has been given is reasonable in every context other than the way that it’s affecting [the wrestling] team because it’s senior night,” Kaiser said. “All the people that they have in mind when they’re laying down this ban on seniors are the most impassioned about these games and things. Two years ago was the only time we ever had a student section, and having those people there to bring energy to these games is what allowed us to win that match.”
To Sixth Former Banks Young, the decision from the administration to not allow Sixth Formers who attended the Penn Charter basketball game was unfair.
“I guess I get it because they wanted to make a statement, but I just think it’s pretty ridiculous because it’s inconsiderate,” Young said. “It’s our last [Malvern basketball game].”
Sixth Former Kyle Morris echoed a similar sentiment.
“Hopefully, this is a moving on point for us and we won’t have to deal with this in the future.”
Mr. Michael Murphy
“I just think that [storming the court] is a very normal thing at high school sporting events, and I wish that we had that environment where we could do that without a punishment,” Morris said. “Those are the types of things that you’re going to remember in high school.”
Ultimately the punishment that the administration concluded upon was based on the student section’s lack of respect. The message from some members of the community is clear: rules are in place for a reason, whether it be the safety of visitors on campus, students’ own safety, or even just how Haverford students should conduct themselves.
“[It is my expectation that we will] be loud, be proud, support the Fords, and we’re going to eliminate some of these other things. If we’re told not to storm the field, we won’t storm the field. I truly think that we’re a place of character and have virtues that people follow,” Mr. Murphy said. “Hopefully, this is a moving on point for us and we won’t have to deal with this in the future.”
