(2021) PF Curt Hopf

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

On 11/18/2019 at 11:17 PM, brumdog45 said:

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.  

I just spent the last three hours ready every responsive pleading in the case to date ....I think the information is extremely telling and this process is going to define a lot of future cases 

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

On 11/18/2019 at 8:57 PM, brumdog45 said:

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.

That’s the sentiment I got from the filings 

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

On 11/19/2019 at 6:39 AM, 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.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

Bad parents can still result in good kids but the headache of parents that interject themselves is just not a headache a respectable program wants ...Lavar Ball anyone ?

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

As of this morning the case management system still shows no entry newer than the Courts direction for the parties to submit proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law by yesterday.  That either means they were submitted and the system hasn’t been updated or that the parties decline to submit any in which case the Court could render a decision at anytime.  Lots of interesting plot lines from this process. 

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

Having seen them play last night ...if I was barr Reeve coach ir athletic director I would not play hopf in varsity competition this year even IF he got an injunction.  As currently comprised they can win the state title without him ...I would not jeopardize my season playing someone who was granted injunctive relief when there is realistic possibility the end result of the litigation is a determination by a court that he was not eligible thus resulting in a forfeited title and season you could have won without him.  O’Neil knepp and graber are about as tough as you’ll find and they will have Knepp graber and hopf next year They are going to have a great couple years 

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

New filing from the AGs office on behalf of the case review panel ....still no judicial ruling on injunctive relief

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

Ihsaa requested a 30 day enlargement of time to answer complaint for injunctive relief and the Court granted the extension ...will be a minimum of 30 days now before it’s even possible to render a decision on temporary relief

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,927]

When all is said and done, he's likely going to miss the entire season regardless.

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

3 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

When all is said and done, he's likely going to miss the entire season regardless.

That would be my guess as well ...if you were barr Reeve’s coach Or AD  would you risk playing him even if the injunction is granted given the way they are set up currently ?

[Blackmon_for_3 1,532]

Curt is a lot bigger than I thought he would be. Last I had heard he was 6’7” but this photo shows him clearly being taller than 6’8” Keagan O’Neill #50. This is from the southridge tournament yesterday. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,927]

The Hopf saga is over.  But if you're the Barr-Reeve coach next season do you really want him on your team?  

COURIER AND PRESS - 01.04.20

A Daviess County (Indiana) Circuit Court judge has declined to grant the family of standout high school basketball Curt Hopf an injunction that would've given the player eligibility amid a transfer controversy.

The parents of Curt Hopf, a 6-foot-7 junior at Barr-Reeve High School, had their request for injunctive relief denied by Judge Gregory Smith in a decision issued Friday.

In his order, Smith wrote that state appellate courts have long applied a standard that they would not substitute their judgment for that of the Indiana High School Athletic Asosciation unless the court found the IHSAA's rulings to be "arbitrary and capricious." 

Smith wrote: "This court’s review concludes that based on the testimony, the memo of the conversations including references to transferring to Barr-Reeve and transferring in general, as well as the determination by both Forest Park and Barr-Reeve that the transfer was primarily for athletic reasons, that Barr-Reeve never amended or modified its recommendation on ineligibility, reasonable minds might accept such as adequate to support the conclusion of the IHSAA and case review panel."

A hearing on the matter took place Dec. 20.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association ruled Hopf ineligible after he transferred from Forest Park High School to Barr-Reeve over the summer. Hopf's appeal to the IHSAA was denied, and a case review panel of the Indiana Department of Education later upheld the ruling.

The IHSAA found "compelling" evidence that Hopf transferred from Forest Park for athletic purposes, which requires a student to sit out from sports for a year. Hopf's family has argued that he left the Dubois County school because he was being bullied by some of his fellow students and an assistant basketball coach.

Officials from both Barr-Reeve and Forest Park declined to sign off on athletic eligibility for Hopf, who is considered to be one of the state's best basketball players in his class. He would not be eligible to play until August 2020 under IHSAA transfer rules.

Hopf's parents, in their legal action, said missing a whole season of high school basketball would cause harm to their son, who has received recruiting interest from Division I college programs. In a response, the IHSAA argued that "the only harm will be the loss of the enjoyment of high school basketball in a few games during the season... Certainly, AAU basketball participation is readily available to Curt."

In court filings prior to the Dec. 20 hearing, the IHSAA argued that the Hopfs were "twisting the facts" and had engaged "in a wholesale rewrite of history" in seeking a court injunction. The organization pointed to a "steady stream of criticisms and complaints, principally from Curt’s mother (Angie Hopf), about Forest Park’s deficient basketball program and its coaches, and the repeated threats that Curt would have to leave Forest Park because of these problems with Forest Park’s coaches and their handling of Curt’s basketball talents, and go to another school, perhaps Barr-Reeve."

The filing included summaries of communications between the Hopfs and Forest Park prior to Curt's departure, including demands that "Curt needs to play (point guard) or be on the wing and get the ball on the first pass."

According to one of the summaries included by Forest Park officials, Angie Hopf met with then-coach Jeff Litherland with "a list of demands" that included removing two players from the team who were "ball hogs," that another player should be the starting center because "they didn't want Curt getting beat up in the post" and that a fourth player was "nothing but trouble."

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

Litherland alerted Forest Park officials to other issues involving the Hopfs in June 2018, according to the court filings. When Forest Park took part in a summer event at Indiana University, the Hopf parents "screamed at players to throw Curt the ball" and "several students and parents were very upset with the behavior of Curt's parents."

Litherland resigned the coaching position later in the summer, and Forest Park officials said the Hopfs were unhappy with the choice to hire David Welp to replace him, according to the court records. 

In court filings, the Hopfs have said 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.

The Hopfs said Curt 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, the family asserts 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," the Hopfs said. The Hopfs moved from their residence in Birdseye, Indiana to a rental home in Cannelsburg, according to court records. 

In his order, Smith wrote: "This court finds, as did the IHSAA, that Curt was bullied or harassed and is disappointed in the manner it was handled and addressed at Forest Park and the IHSAA and would love to see Curt playing basketball this year, but that would mean this court is substituting its judgment for the judgment of the IHSAA contrary to the standard of review set forth by the Indiana Supreme Court."

The Hopf Family, through their attorneys, Michael Jasaitis and Jill Doggett, released the following statement:

“The Hopf Family could not be more proud of the courageous maturity and respect that their son, Curt, has displayed throughout the last year.  While the Hopf family is understandably disappointed with the effect of the decision, they are wholly appreciative of the outpouring of love and support Curt has received, especially from those within the Barr-Reeve Community.  Despite this setback, Curt will continue to strive to conduct himself as a supportive member of the community, both in and outside the classroom.”

[WayneFleekHoosier 46,723]

Geez


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[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

1 hour ago, Blackmon_for_3 said:

Curt is a lot bigger than I thought he would be. Last I had heard he was 6’7” but this photo shows him clearly being taller than 6’8” Keagan O’Neill #50. This is from the southridge tournament yesterday. 

Yes he isn’t as filled out but he definitely is longer I got to see Two of their games and he was clearly the tallest kid in the gym 

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

1 hour ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

The Hopf saga is over.  But if you're the Barr-Reeve coach next season do you really want him on your team?  

COURIER AND PRESS - 01.04.20

A Daviess County (Indiana) Circuit Court judge has declined to grant the family of standout high school basketball Curt Hopf an injunction that would've given the player eligibility amid a transfer controversy.

The parents of Curt Hopf, a 6-foot-7 junior at Barr-Reeve High School, had their request for injunctive relief denied by Judge Gregory Smith in a decision issued Friday.

In his order, Smith wrote that state appellate courts have long applied a standard that they would not substitute their judgment for that of the Indiana High School Athletic Asosciation unless the court found the IHSAA's rulings to be "arbitrary and capricious." 

Smith wrote: "This court’s review concludes that based on the testimony, the memo of the conversations including references to transferring to Barr-Reeve and transferring in general, as well as the determination by both Forest Park and Barr-Reeve that the transfer was primarily for athletic reasons, that Barr-Reeve never amended or modified its recommendation on ineligibility, reasonable minds might accept such as adequate to support the conclusion of the IHSAA and case review panel."

A hearing on the matter took place Dec. 20.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association ruled Hopf ineligible after he transferred from Forest Park High School to Barr-Reeve over the summer. Hopf's appeal to the IHSAA was denied, and a case review panel of the Indiana Department of Education later upheld the ruling.

The IHSAA found "compelling" evidence that Hopf transferred from Forest Park for athletic purposes, which requires a student to sit out from sports for a year. Hopf's family has argued that he left the Dubois County school because he was being bullied by some of his fellow students and an assistant basketball coach.

Officials from both Barr-Reeve and Forest Park declined to sign off on athletic eligibility for Hopf, who is considered to be one of the state's best basketball players in his class. He would not be eligible to play until August 2020 under IHSAA transfer rules.

Hopf's parents, in their legal action, said missing a whole season of high school basketball would cause harm to their son, who has received recruiting interest from Division I college programs. In a response, the IHSAA argued that "the only harm will be the loss of the enjoyment of high school basketball in a few games during the season... Certainly, AAU basketball participation is readily available to Curt."

In court filings prior to the Dec. 20 hearing, the IHSAA argued that the Hopfs were "twisting the facts" and had engaged "in a wholesale rewrite of history" in seeking a court injunction. The organization pointed to a "steady stream of criticisms and complaints, principally from Curt’s mother (Angie Hopf), about Forest Park’s deficient basketball program and its coaches, and the repeated threats that Curt would have to leave Forest Park because of these problems with Forest Park’s coaches and their handling of Curt’s basketball talents, and go to another school, perhaps Barr-Reeve."

The filing included summaries of communications between the Hopfs and Forest Park prior to Curt's departure, including demands that "Curt needs to play (point guard) or be on the wing and get the ball on the first pass."

According to one of the summaries included by Forest Park officials, Angie Hopf met with then-coach Jeff Litherland with "a list of demands" that included removing two players from the team who were "ball hogs," that another player should be the starting center because "they didn't want Curt getting beat up in the post" and that a fourth player was "nothing but trouble."

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

Litherland alerted Forest Park officials to other issues involving the Hopfs in June 2018, according to the court filings. When Forest Park took part in a summer event at Indiana University, the Hopf parents "screamed at players to throw Curt the ball" and "several students and parents were very upset with the behavior of Curt's parents."

Litherland resigned the coaching position later in the summer, and Forest Park officials said the Hopfs were unhappy with the choice to hire David Welp to replace him, according to the court records. 

In court filings, the Hopfs have said 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.

The Hopfs said Curt 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, the family asserts 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," the Hopfs said. The Hopfs moved from their residence in Birdseye, Indiana to a rental home in Cannelsburg, according to court records. 

In his order, Smith wrote: "This court finds, as did the IHSAA, that Curt was bullied or harassed and is disappointed in the manner it was handled and addressed at Forest Park and the IHSAA and would love to see Curt playing basketball this year, but that would mean this court is substituting its judgment for the judgment of the IHSAA contrary to the standard of review set forth by the Indiana Supreme Court."

The Hopf Family, through their attorneys, Michael Jasaitis and Jill Doggett, released the following statement:

“The Hopf Family could not be more proud of the courageous maturity and respect that their son, Curt, has displayed throughout the last year.  While the Hopf family is understandably disappointed with the effect of the decision, they are wholly appreciative of the outpouring of love and support Curt has received, especially from those within the Barr-Reeve Community.  Despite this setback, Curt will continue to strive to conduct himself as a supportive member of the community, both in and outside the classroom.”

At the tournament they all interacted like they were a solid unit and the coaches seemed to want him there.  If they win the state title this year they have knepp and graeber back and better next year with hopf to replace O’Neil and they would own 1A or if they get bumped they could compete in 2A....I wouldn’t want a parent like that but the set up is favorable to have him next year 

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

Oh and if you read the review panel transcript and subsequent order that were filed into the civil suit the mom seems even worse than summarized by the paper and the dad seems just as bad 

[Uspshoosier 44,195]

Committed to Bellarmine 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,927]

9 hours ago, Uspshoosier said:

Committed to Bellarmine 

Is it a package deal with his mom?

[Rico 2,911]

10 hours ago, Uspshoosier said:

Committed to Bellarmine 

Best of luck there to him and his parents.