Boosters and Players Back Clodi at St. Charles District Meeting

With some calling it an “injustice,” the recommendation to not retain Coach for next season spurred players, parents and boosters of the St. Charles East boys basketball team.

Dozens of people lined the ramp leading to the District 303 administration building Monday night and packed the meeting room. Those who spoke testified to the character of Clodi—one East basketball alumnus asked for his reinstatement while a current varsity captain said the coach embodied the district’s stated vision goals.

District officials have declined to explain specifics behind the recommendation of the school’s Athletic Director Jerry Krieg to not keep Clodi on as head coach. A final decision remains with the school’s Principal Bob Miller, who decides whether to accept the recommendation.

During Monday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Donald Schlomann indicated that Miller and Krieg were on the same page.

“While the process is not finished yet, there is not a difference of opinion between the two individuals,” Schlomann said.

Late last week, initial reports indicated that Clodi had been fired from the position. A district spokesman clarified Clodi’s status in media reports Friday evening.

At Monday’s meeting, booster member David Griffiths read a statement from the organization saying that the perception of the East Athletic Department was that it lacked consistency and caused “inequitable treatment of coaches and sports teams” at the school.

“Please help us with this injustice,” Griffiths asked the board of education.

While the no one on the board addressed whether they could intervene, Schlomann said that a coach’s evaluation “very rarely” comes to his office.

Zach Zajicek, a senior guard for East, described Clodi to the board as a "great friend" who had a passion for the sport and a love of the players.

He referenced the district's vision and goals—attain excellence, learn with passion, and live with integrity—in praising his coach.

"Those are probably the best three qualities you could describe in Coach Clodi," Zajicek said.