After Eden Prairie coach reinstated, North St. Paul cancels matchup
Just a few days after Eden Prairie reinstated its boys’ basketball coach, who was investigated for allegedly using a racist phrase, North St. Paul High School has opted to not play its game Friday night at Eden Prairie.
North St. Paul Boys’ Basketball Coach Cornelius Gilleylen confirmed that the team made the decision.
“The players decided not to move forward with playing tonight’s game and we as a coaching staff support their decision,” Gilleylen said in an email to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
He also sent the following statement to North St. Paul basketball families:
“Since Monday, there has been some chatter amongst student-athletes about Friday’s games against Eden Prairie. In order to hear directly from our students, we held a team meeting with players, coaches, Principal Wolff, Assistant Principal Drummond, and Activities Director Helwig. The purpose of the meeting was to hear from our student-athletes about the recent events that have taken place at Eden Prairie High School and how they have been impacted. After an in-depth discussion, the players unanimously decided not to participate in our boy’s basketball game this upcoming Friday at Eden Prairie High School.
“The coaching staff, our school leadership, and district administration fully support the decision your sons made tonight. We will communicate details about any schedule changes or adjustments in the near future.
“Please let me know if you have any questions and thank you for your support!“
North St. Paul Boys’ Basketball Coach Cornelius Gilleylen
It comes after Eden Prairie Coach David Flom was reinstated by the school on Monday. He’d been suspended since mid-December after the district received a complaint that Flom used a racial slur during a team meeting. A letter that circulated in support of Flom said the coach read the slur aloud during a team classroom session with players and coaches that was aimed at highlighting the impact of insensitive social media posts.
Eden Prairie schools provided the following statement Monday regarding coach David Flom’s return:
“We have completed our investigation into the complaints against Coach Flom.
“Coach Flom will transition back as Head Coach of our varsity Basketball team, effective Monday, January 23, 2023.
“While state law governing information about employees does not allow us to release any further information at this time, we appreciate everyone’s understanding of the importance of conducting a thorough investigation. We listened to multiple perspectives, and hope some learning comes out of this difficult time.
“We are so proud of our players and interim coaches for how they have responded to changes this season and for their commitment to each other, and we will continue helping our players reach their full potential as individuals and as a team.”
Eden Prairie Schools
Friday night’s game was slated to be Flom’s second game since being reinstated.
Gilleylen, who was hired at North St. Paul in 2020, spent the five seasons before that as an assistant coach at Eden Prairie.
In a phone call with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Gilleylen said he and Flom have talked several times since Flom was suspended and he considers Flom a close friend.
“He is my friend and it’s unfortunate to have to go through this,” Gilleylen said, adding “This isn’t going to tarnish our relationship.”
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to Flom for comment on the cancellation but hasn’t yet heard back.