Restraining order lifted against hoops coach, lawyer says
A restraining order against Gino Crump, who has not been allowed to coach Desert Vista’s top-ranked boys basketball team since Dec. 13, was dismissed on Dec. 31 by a Phoenix Municipal Court judge.
Buddy Rake, the head boys basketball coach at Phoenix Thunderbird and a lawyer, is representing Crump and helped get it removed.
Crump was suspended after a physical incident with one of his players following his team’s Dec. 13 overtime win at Phoenix St. Mary’s.
A parent of the player filed a restraining order against Crump on Dec. 19, according to the court document. Rake provided a copy of the document to The Arizona Republic.
With the evidence presented, Rake said the judge felt, during an emotional moment following a close game, Crump was trying to push his player away from St. Mary’s students to prevent a potential brawl and was not trying to hurt the player.
St. Mary’s self-described “Bleacher Creatures” student section behind the basket was filled that night. The visitor’s bench is near the bleachers.
The player involved in the incident was at the end of the bench, Rake said, and the judge believed the player was doing more than celebrating after the comeback win, causing Crump to react the way he did.
Rake said the court ruled that Crump was trying to diffuse a situation similar to what happened at Phoenix Central High on Nov. 30, when a brawl erupted after a punch was thrown in the handshake line between Laveen Cesar Chavez and Mesa Skyline.
Rake said the judge remarked that Crump “had no intention to harm him,” that, “there was no physical harm, and there was no record he was treated for any kind of injury.”
“The coach’s motivation was pure,” were the judge’s remarks, Rake said.
After Desert Vista and the Tempe Union High School District investigated the incident, it was recommended that Crump be removed as coach.
Desert Vista Athletic Director Tommy Eubanks said Monday that he had no comment.
Rake said he sent via Federal Express on Monday a letter to Desert Vista Principal Michael Deignan, TUHSD superintendent Dr. Kevin J. Mendivil and TUHSD Governing Board President Berdetta Hodge, among others, asking for an informal meeting to resolve the matter.
Sharing the letter with Rake wrote, in part, “All public high school coaches serve in loco parentis, which is a Latin phrase meaning in the place of a parent. It is a long-established legal doctrine under which a public high school coach assumes parental rights, duties, and responsibilities. As such, Coach Crump had a legal obligation and a right to remove his players from the dangerous situation. The Athletic Director at St. Mary’s did the same with his students.”
He is asking to meet prior to Wednesday’s 6 p.m., parent meeting that supports Crump.
“We’ve now read the court’s order,” Rake said. “We didn’t have all of the information. Let Coach Crump come back to coach the team.”
A parent in the Desert Vista program started an online reinstatement petition that drew nearly 2,500 signatures, Rake said.
The TUHSD governing board is scheduled to meet Jan. 15 and expected to take up the issue of whether Crump should be fired.
“All coaches have been in that situation,” Rake said. “It’s a scary situation. People are coming from behind you and in back of you.
“A few years ago, I implemented a plan for active shooter. I had a (former member of the ) SEAL Team Six come out and evaluate our practice and game situation. Some comments were, ‘no metal detectors, no idea who is coming in. You can bring in anything. They can be unstable. You’ve got four doors coming out and nothing you can do.’ “
Rake said that referees and coaches are caught in a tough situation where they are at risk of being sued for breaking up an altercation.
“What are coaches supposed to do?” Rake asked. “Are we supposed to just sit on the bench? If you don’t do anything, your kids are going to get hurt. We have zero training (for deescalating potentially violent situations). The Phoenix Police Department has 40 hours of mandatory deescalation training. We have zero.”