Mom of Duke star Kyle Filipowski’s fiancée Caitlin Hutchison speaks out after 6’11” phenom dropped in NBA draft amid claims her daughter ‘groomed’ him when he was 15 and she was 22
The mother of Kyle Filipowski’s girlfriend, seven years his senior, has spoken out for the first time amid shocking allegations that her daughter “groomed” the college basketball star when he was in high school.
The 20-year-old Duke alumna got engaged to Caitlin Hutchison in April and is now estranged from his family, who accuse the 27-year-old of “coercive control” and “conspiracy” to ensnare the rising star for five years.
“There’s still stuff that’s going to happen,” Amanda Hutchison said at her home in Madison, Alabama, adding that the couple is keeping a low profile amid the “storm” of allegations.
“What we’ve always told the kids is, for every good thing, if you have even a little bit of faith, there’s going to be naysayers, there’s always a negative for every positive,” she said. “So that’s how we weather those storms.”
Kyle Filipowski, 20, and his fiancée Caitlin Hutchison, 27, are keeping a low profile amid a flood of shocking allegations from his family that she groomed him when he was in high school, relatives have revealed.
The couple are “weathering the storm,” Hutchison’s mother Amanda told DailyMail.com – after Filipowski’s family criticized Caitlin as a manipulative schemer who had set her sights on Filipowski years ago when he was still at school
As a sophomore, Filipowski took Duke to the elite eight of this year’s NCAA March Madness
Her comments come after the 6-foot-1 Filipowski unexpectedly dropped to the second round of the NBA draft last week, where he was selected by the Utah Jazz. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony linked the blow to “off-court events” involving his girlfriend.
Givony’s comment prompted the player’s mother, Rebecca, 60, to respond to X by saying, “You’re opening up a two year issue… and she’s 28 with an end game three years ago of having a diamond ring on her hand when Kyle left Duke. HE WAS STILL IN HS.”
Filipowski’s oldest brother, Daniel, 29, also voiced his concerns publicly on X. He initially didn’t name Hutchison but referred to “Mormon grooming and brainwashing” and suggested readers “connect some dots.” Hutchison was raised in the Mormon Church.
Later, in a series of follow-up messages obtained by DailyMail.com, Daniel criticized his younger brother’s partner even more openly, calling him a manipulative schemer who had set her sights on Filipowski years ago.
According to Daniel, “my brother is a victim and was unfortunately a “perfect” pawn and target for this girl’s lifelong plan, based on his human qualities and growing potential as a promising talent, which began in 2019, exactly when she began her pursuit of him.”
Filipowski would have been only 15 years old when Hutchison – who is 27, not 28 as his mother claims – “began her search.”
DailyMail.com has learned that Hutchison has known Filipowski since he was a child.
A tweet from Kyle’s older brother Taylor, 24, in January 2017 shows a group photo with Filipowski on the far left and Hutchison in the center. Filipowski was 13 and Hutchison was 20 at the time of the photo.
The caption reads: ‘#throwbackthursday to an awesome and fun day. Hanging out with my cousins again.’
Hutchison’s mother Amanda (pictured) spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com from her home in Madison, Alabama. She didn’t go so far as to refute the rumours – but suggested that more details about the controversial pairing would be revealed soon
Amanda Hutchison, 60, told DailyMail.com that she and her family are in seclusion and waiting for the “storm” of rumours surrounding her daughter and her basketball fiancé to die down.
The player’s eldest brother, Daniel, 29, posted a cryptic tweet referring to “Mormon grooming and brainwashing” and urging readers to “connect some dots” before more directly criticizing Hutchison for allegedly manipulating his brother into a relationship with him.
Hutchison is not a blood relative of Filipowski, but DailyMail.com understands that their parents, Amanda and Kevin Hutchison, 55, and Rebecca and David Filipowski, 65, were so close at one point that their children considered each other “family”.
According to the Filipowskis, Hutchison took advantage of that close bond and tried to entrap the young man, who, they said, she knew would become a successful professional athlete because of his height and talent.
Hutchison was definitely in a relationship with Filipowski when he went to his senior prom. She went on a date with him when he was 17 and she was 24.
In a message directly addressing his brother, Daniel wrote, “Kyle… myself, your entire family and friends love you and are here for you!
“I have received so much support and encouragement from families whose child has been victimized by the same horrible and evil progression of psychological control and manipulation.”
In a series of screenshots, Daniel also posted definitions of “coercive control,” which involves a person being subjected to “a pattern of isolating, threatening, and controlling behavior that robs an intimate partner of freedom, peace, and security, and over time, of his or her identity, personhood, independence, safety, and self-reliance.”
He posted the definitions along with the comment, “This is for all the families who have been through this in the past or are going through it now! You are NOT ALONE.”
Hutchison is not a blood relative of Filipowski, but DailyMail.com understands that at one point their parents were so close that their children considered each other ‘family’
Hutchison and Filipowski were seen vacationing together last year in a photo shared on the basketball player’s Instagram
None of these words, nor the sentiments Hutchison’s mother shared with DailyMail.com this week, suggest any hope of an imminent rapprochement.
Amanda Hutchison told DailyMail.com that she and her family are withdrawing and waiting for the proverbial storm to pass.
Amanda Hutchison stood outside her Alabama home and said, “We weather storms. We all have our zippers up and our clips up. We just cover ourselves.”
She again promised that ‘clarity would come’, but would not explain what she meant by that.
According to Amanda, “It’s out of my hands. It’s in the hands of PR, within Kyle’s agency and the NBA.”
When DailyMail.com reached out to the NBA, they said they had no involvement in the situation.