Boys’ basketball: Fired Calabasas coach to meet with district officials
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I called recently-fired Calabasas boys’ basketball Coach Jim Nielsen on Friday afternoon and he said he’s scheduled to meet with Las Virgenes Unified School District representatives at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the former Pepperdine assistant men’s basketball coach wouldn’t speculate as to what the outcome of the meeting would be nor would he comment on his firing.
However, he did express admiration for the role his players have taken in protesting his dismissal.
‘It’s overwhelming and it has moved me in every way,’ Nielsen said. ‘It has continued to encourage my faith in youth.’
According to Calabasas players and parents familiar with the situation, the Las Virgenes Unified School District has received more than 900 e-mails and calls in support of Nielsen, who was fired on Tuesday night at a school board meeting for a reason that has not been made public.
All of the players and parents I’ve spoken with believe Nielsen’s firing is linked to three complaints from parents the district received in regard to their sons’ playing time. Of course, the players haven’t been told anything from the district and, if you’re a Varsity Times Insider regular, you know how I feel about that.
‘He infuses kids with confidence and joy,’ said Gavin Smith, father of Calabasas leading scorer, Evan Smith. ‘My son loves having Jim as his coach. None of us understand why this has happened.’
I think there’s a decent chance Nielsen could get his job back now that district officials want to meet with him, but who knows? This whole episode still might be far from over.
By the way, here are more photos of Thursday’s player protest courtesy of Calabasas junior Jake De Golish:
