(2021) PF Curt Hopf

[Alford Bailey]

Have a friend dealing with this same situation right now. Some of the stuff hes had to deal with is crazy.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Evansville Courier & Press -

A standout Southern Indiana basketball player lobbied IHSAA officials for a transfer on the grounds that he was bullied, though school officials painted a picture of a meddling parent interfering with her son’s team and its coaching staff.

An Indiana Department of Education Case Review panel last week, in a 7-0 vote, denied a request from high school junior Curt Hopf and his family that the 6-foot-7 forward be allowed to play this winter at Barr-Reeve High School after transferring from Forest Park.

Hopf has drawn interest from Indiana, Purdue and the University of Evansville, among others. He is the younger brother of Clint Hopf, a 2007 Indiana All-Star who played at UE and is considered the No. 12 player in the state's Class of 2021 by the IndyStar.

It was the third denial of his eligibility, following two from the IHSAA.

The Courier & Press, through an open records request, obtained a copy of the Case Review Panel's final order and finding of facts from Hopf's hearing with the Department of Education body.

Hopf's parents completed the transfer report and Curt Hopf indicated the transfer from Forest Park to Barr-Reeve occurred because his "parents wanted a more positive school environment," according to the panel's findings of fact document.

"The parents believe that Barr-Reeve's school environment will allow Hopf to excel with a more enjoyable experience his last two years of high school."

However, Forest Park and Barr-Reeve both recommended that Hopf have no eligibility under Rule 19-4 this season. Neither school signed the limited eligibility waiver. IHSAA Rule 19-4 deals with eligibility and transfers. Briefly, it says a player cannot transfer from one school to another primarily for athletic reasons. If that is considered the case, a player is ineligible to play varsity for 365 days after the transfer for his or her new school.

While at Forest Park, Hopf reported to school officials that he was being bullied. The incidents involved the petitioner being called "ugly" and "soft," making fun of his religious beliefs and disparaging comments about his basketball abilities. As a result of the bullying, the petitioner became withdrawn and no longer enjoyed going to school. The petitioner testified more than 10 students bullied him, including four members of the Rangers' basketball team.

However, the Case Review Panel, in its decision, wrote that "(Hopf) has not met his burden to show there was a hardship condition, specifically bullying, that would outweigh the athletic motivation for the transfer to Barr-Reeve."

The panel said there was "compelling evidence that demonstrates the move was primarily for athletic motivation."

The document lays out examples of abundant friction between Forest Park officials and Hopf's mother, who is not identified by name in the document but is referred to as "the petitioner's mother."

For instance, a Forest Park official testified that Hopf's mother demanded her son play the point guard position in order to "give him more exposure to Division I college teams."

In July 2018, Forest Park's head basketball coaching position became available and Hopf's mother questioned why a certain coach, who was not named in the panel's document, was not given a second interview. Hopf's mother openly questioned the current coaching staff's abilities. According to the document, she told a Forest Park official they needed to hire a new coaching staff or the family would seek a transfer.

Additionally, Hopf's mother asked if the school would be hiring a new coaching staff within the next two years.

Hopf's mother denied making these statements at the Review Committee Hearing.

The case review panel order states that Forest Park Superintendent Jamie Pund said that Hopf's mother told her that the coaching staff was doing "nothing" for Hopf and he should be treated differently because of his talents.

Messages were left by the Courier & Press seeking comment from both Pund and Barr-Reeve Schools Superintendent Travis Madison.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association initially ruled Hopf ineligible in August and then upheld that decision in October. Hopf's family and their attorney appealed the decision to the Case Review Panel of the Indiana Department of Education.

Hopf averaged 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds for Forest Park, which finished 15-10 under first-year coach David Welp last season. Hopf helped lead Forest Park to the Class 2A state finals and a 25-5 record as a freshman under former coach Jeff Litherland.

Barr-Reeve lost 60-43 to Fort Wayne Blackhawk in the Class A championship game last March.

Hopf will be eligible at Barr-Reeve on Aug. 1, 2020 -- a year after he enrolled at the school, IHSAA spokesman Jason Wille told the Courier & Press.

[RaceToTheTop]

Being around high school basketball, I can tell you when both schools recommend a denial of eligibility, their are 100% good reasons for it.

additionally, schools can not discuss publicly reasons for denial due to privacy rules involving minors....so usually the public will side with the parents who can state their case publicly unfettered.  Since they aren’t coming off well, it’s probably an open and shut denial case.

 

also seems very telling that Forest Park will be having its third coach and three years for what sounds like coaches getting fed up with dealing with Hopf’s mother.

[8bucks]

Being around high school basketball, I can tell you when both schools recommend a denial of eligibility, their are 100% good reasons for it.
additionally, schools can not discuss publicly reasons for denial due to privacy rules involving minors....so usually the public will side with the parents who can state their case publicly unfettered.  Since they aren’t coming off well, it’s probably an open and shut denial case.
 
also seems very telling that Forest Park will be having its third coach and three years for what sounds like coaches getting fed up with dealing with Hopf’s mother.

This is a good point but how did we get word of some of things his mom was accused of saying? It sounds like the schools wanted to get ahead of this a little and released some info somehow


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[RaceToTheTop]

2 hours ago, 8bucks said:

This is a good point but how did we get word of some of things his mom was accused of saying? It sounds like the schools wanted to get ahead of this a little and released some info somehow


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As the article says, that was information that the paper obtained from the court documents under the freedom of information act.  I’m a teacher and I know if there is one thing that schools will not look to admit these things into evidence without corroborating witnesses....simply put, schools do there best to avoid putting themselves in a case of liability — often to the detriment of their case.  When a school makes themselves liable, it is something that becomes big news.  Every school will consult with their retained lawyers before submitting testimony.

additionally, it seems that the mother hasn’t been exactly secret about her intentions.  

[HinnyHoosier]

If this kid’s mother is a complete whack job, do we really want that around the program? I guess that remains to be seen pending his development, but she poses liability wherever they go. At this point I wouldn’t want to waste too much recruiting time to inherit her if the player results won’t 100% pay off.


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[ap2345]

If this kid’s mother is a complete whack job, do we really want that around the program? I guess that remains to be seen pending his development, but she poses liability wherever they go. At this point I wouldn’t want to waste too much recruiting time to inherit her if the player results won’t 100% pay off.


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I haven’t seen anything that tells me IU has real interest in thi kid for a while.


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[woodenshoemanHoosierfan]

If this kid’s mother is a complete whack job, do we really want that around the program? I guess that remains to be seen pending his development, but she poses liability wherever they go. At this point I wouldn’t want to waste too much recruiting time to inherit her if the player results won’t 100% pay off.


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I was wondering the same thing

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[mamasa]

3 hours ago, HinnyHoosier said:

If this kid’s mother is a complete whack job, do we really want that around the program? I guess that remains to be seen pending his development, but she poses liability wherever they go. At this point I wouldn’t want to waste too much recruiting time to inherit her if the player results won’t 100% pay off.


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I don't know- it was pretty entertaining at times with Patty Williams on here lol

[ray]

I'm sure this kid's mother wants what is best for her son (and, very likely, what is best for her own ego as well), but coddling a child in the way she seems to be coddling typically results in damage to the overall success of the child.  I feel bad for the kid if this was all his mother's doing, but I hope Indiana doesn't bring her into the "family".  I also feel bad for the kid if he is indeed being bullied, which is certainly possible...albeit it is rather unlikely a star basketball player at a small school is being bullied.  

HARD pass, regardless.

[HoosierAloha]

PF who wants to play PG, I believe there is a coach in Georgia who would eat that up!


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[Napleshoosier]

I don't know- it was pretty entertaining at times with Patty Williams on here lol

Lol. Man, that was an epic meltdown!


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[Napleshoosier]

PF who wants to play PG, I believe there is a coach in Georgia who would eat that up!


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Like Hollowell. Crean was nuts!


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[Brass Cannon]

4 hours ago, HoosierAloha said:

PF who wants to play PG, I believe there is a coach in Georgia who would eat that up!


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Man Crean can’t wait to wreck that plumbing. 

[Hurryin' Hoosiers]

18 hours ago, Napleshoosier said:

Lol. Man, that was an epic meltdown!


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anyone able to link?  i apparently missed it.

[mamasa]

2 hours ago, iuswingman said:

anyone able to link?  i apparently missed it.

I wouldn't even know where to start, lol.  When Troy Williams was here, his mom Patty was on the board.  She was quite vocal and could curse like a sailor.  She defended Troy like a honey badger on steroids.  I can't remember all of the back and forths, but it was entertaining, sad, and concerning all at the same time

[WayneFleekHoosier]

I wouldn't even know where to start, lol.  When Troy Williams was here, his mom Patty was on the board.  She was quite vocal and could curse like a sailor.  She defended Troy like a honey badger on steroids.  I can't remember all of the back and forths, but it was entertaining, sad, and concerning all at the same time

A little like the Nojel Eastern drama with his mom on PUke board, but less frequent.

Unfortunately Troy was a lightning rod for both good and bad news.


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[Class of '66 Old Fart]

And the saga continues.  And even if the injunction is granted is he really going to be that welcomed by the Barr-Reeve basketball team?  The following is from the Evansville Courier & Press.

Curt Hopf's family seeks injunction in hopes of restoring son's eligibility at Barr-Reeve

 The parents of a standout Southwestern Indiana high school basketball player have asked the courts for an injunction in their quest to restore their son's eligibility at Barr-Reeve High School this season.

Kevin and Angie Hopf of Cannelburg, the parents of Curt Hopf, are suing the Department of Education's Case Review Panel, the Indiana High School Athletic Association and Barr-Reeve Community Schools.

The Hopfs want a "temporary restraining order, preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, a judicial review of the decision of the Case Review Panel and declaratory judgment" on behalf of Curt Hopf, who was ruled ineligible to play for Barr-Reeve this season after transferring from Forest Park High School in Ferdinand.

In November, an Indiana Department of Education Case Review Panel, in a 7-0 vote, denied a request from Hopf and his family that the 6-foot-7 forward be allowed to play this winter. While the Hopf family said the move was because their son was bullied and harassed at Forest Park, the Case Review Panel decided that there was "compelling" evidence that Hopf transferred for athletic reasons.

Hopf has drawn interest from Indiana, Purdue and the University of Evansville, among others. He is the younger brother of Clint Hopf, a 2007 Indiana All-Star who played at UE and is considered the No. 12 player in the state's Class of 2021 by the IndyStar.

It was the third denial of Hopf's eligibility, following two from the IHSAA earlier this year.

In the complaint, filed Wednesday in Daviess County Circuit Court, the Hopfs' attorney, Michael Jasaitis, wrote that despite the success Curt Hopf found on the basketball court while playing for Forest Park, he was a victim of bullying and harassment by a Forest Park assistant coach as well as some teammates and other students.

Jasaitis said Hopf was called a "*****" and a "snitch," among other names, and was "taunted on a regular basis, including for his religious beliefs when he would pray before meals." Hopf was also made fun of for his facial features, the complaint claims, and that a member of the Forest Park basketball coaching staff called him "soft" so often that people around the school "started referring to him negatively as the 'teddy bear.'"

Hopf was also humiliated and ridiculed on social media, Jasaitis wrote in the complaint, and the treatment was worse after the teen reported it to school officials. The family claims that Curt Hopf learned "that one of the bullies was told by a Forest Park official that it was Curt who reported the bullying."

After that, the teen was referred to by others as a "snitch," a "rat" and a "traitor."

According to the complaint, Forest Park's athletics director said during one of the hearings that he didn't find what happened to Hopf to be an instance of bullying and that "kids are kids, you hear all kinds of stuff."

The attorney, Jasaitis, said in the court filing that a psychiatric social worker had evaluated Hopf and concluded "that Curt was the victim of bullying, was demoralized and torn down as a person" because of his treatment at Forest Park.

The complaint claims that both Curt and his mother reported the behavior to the school officials, but that "Forest Park officials converted her concerns about the negative environment ... into complaints about athletics."

Barr-Reeve attorney Jeffrey Norris said he had "no comment at this time" on Wednesday afternoon.

In its hearing with the Department of Education's Case Review Panel, a Forest Park official testified that Angie Hopf demanded her son play the point guard position in order to "give him more exposure to Division I college teams."

In July 2018, Forest Park's head basketball coaching position became available and Angie Hopf questioned why a certain coach, who was not named in the panel's document, was not given a second interview. She openly questioned the current coaching staff's abilities. According to the document, Angie Hopf told a Forest Park official they needed to hire a new coaching staff or the family would seek a transfer.

Additionally, Hopf's mother asked if the school would be hiring a new coaching staff within the next two years.

Angie Hopf denied making these statements at the Review Committee Hearing.

The family attorney argues that Curt Hopf "has sustained and will continue to sustain irreparable damage and harm in that he miss participating in athletics for his junior year of high school" and that he is "being recruited to play collegiately, and his inability to compete during his junior year is impairing his high school athletic career and potential for college scholarships."

Both Forest Park and Barr-Reeve recommended to the IHSAA that Hopf have no eligibility.

Hopf averaged 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds for Forest Park, which finished 15-10 under first-year coach David Welp last season. Hopf helped lead Forest Park to the Class 2A state finals and a 25-5 record as a freshman under former coach Jeff Litherland.

Barr-Reeve lost 60-43 to Fort Wayne Blackhawk in the Class A championship game last March.

Hopf will be eligible at Barr-Reeve on Aug. 1, 2020 -- a year after he enrolled at the school, IHSAA spokesman Jason Wille told the Courier & Press.

[RaceToTheTop]

The fact that BOTH the transferring and receiving school recommend eligibility be denied AND that the case review yielded a 7-0 decision pretty much says everything I need to know.  Teams receiving players don't typically deny transfer without cause and if there was any semblance of truth from the Hopf's, there wouldn't be a 7-0 vote to deny.

The IHSAA denied twice on what they said was 'compelling' evidence that the transfer was not about 'bullying'.  The Indiana Department of Education Case Review was unanimous in their agreement.

 

[Alford Bailey]

51 minutes ago, brumdog45 said:

The fact that BOTH the transferring and receiving school recommend eligibility be denied AND that the case review yielded a 7-0 decision pretty much says everything I need to know.  Teams receiving players don't typically deny transfer without cause and if there was any semblance of truth from the Hopf's, there wouldn't be a 7-0 vote to deny.

The IHSAA denied twice on what they said was 'compelling' evidence that the transfer was not about 'bullying'.  The Indiana Department of Education Case Review was unanimous in their agreement.

 

Pretty bad when the receiving school is against you