DJ Dace will stay on as Cuba’s High School basketball coach, Cuba R-2 District superintendent Scott Davidson told The Cuba Free Press on March 18.

Around 100 community members attended Cuba R-2 District’s school board meeting the night before, in support of Dace. Dace was reportedly asked to resign from his position as head basketball coach on March 12 after at least one parent complained about Dace’s treatment of the team’s players.

After the news that Dace had been asked to resign began to spread, some of the parents of Cuba’s basketball players created a call to action on Facebook in support of Dace, which was shared over 150 times and repeatedly commented on. Many community members who voiced their support of Dace on the page were encouraged to do so in person at the school board meeting a few days later. 

The citizen participation period of the March 17 meeting was moved from the district’s central office to Cuba Middle School’s gymnasium to accommodate the large crowd. Current basketball players, parents, Cuba High School alumni and community members used the full 30 minutes to primarily speak in Dace’s favor.

Luke Eikermann, a parent of Cuba basketball player Layten Eikermann, questioned why Dace wasn’t asked to resign from his position as a physical education teacher as well if the district had such concerns about him.

“What is difficult to understand is how these concerns resulted in removal from coaching duties, while he remains in a role as a teacher interacting with students on the daily,” Eikermann said. “If an individual’s character is truly a question, it would seem that concern should apply consistently across all roles. If it does not, then the reasoning behind this action seems far-fetched and a witch hunt, or maybe even two individuals having it out for him. It appears that the decision was made quickly based on limited input and without broader outreach to the players, their families or other stakeholders directly affected.”

Cuba High School senior Gavin Robinson, who played football and basketball under Dace, praised Dace for his impact both on and off the field. 

“He’s been a best friend and a father figure for me. Even on my bad days, he’s always there for me and has taught me so many things off the court about being a man and how to treat people,” Robinson said. 

Kaylynn Wilkerson, a junior softball player at Cuba High School, spoke about how Dace’s positive impact has translated to all athletes, not just those he coaches.

“He (Dace) creates an environment where athletes feel motivated and supported by something bigger than themselves,” Wilkerson said. “For many of us, he is more than just a coach. He is a mentor, a motivator, and someone who genuinely cares about the success of all athletes at CHS. The confidence he has built and the care he has shown are things that will stay with us,” she added.

Three people spoke up at the meeting advocating for Dace’s removal as head coach. They pointed to Dace’s fiery coaching style and use of profanity as their biggest concerns.

Shannon Brown, whose son Caleb Brown, just finished his sophomore season as a starter on the varsity basketball team, was one of those three.

“As a parent, I cannot justify allowing coach Dace to continue to have influence on my son’s or any other player’s life without speaking up against the foul language used in practices and games and his demeaning and demoralizing ways to players and assistant coaches,” Brown said. “We would not allow this behavior by teachers, students or administration and coach Dace’s behavior is not the example we once set as a school or community. This season, my family members found it necessary to apologize to other coaches in opposition to let them know that coach Dace’s behavior does not represent us in the community.”

Brown’s husband, Josh Brown, a 1996 graduate of Cuba High School, said that he personally asked Dace to resign less than a week after Cuba’s basketball season officially ended on March 3 in a district quarterfinal loss to St. Clair. 

“On March 9 of this year, I met with DJ (Dace) privately to ask for his resignation. In this meeting, I brought to him several accusations of wrongdoing and misconduct,” Brown said. “His response to me was not to deny any of the accusations, but rather he only offered to give excuses and not accept any personal responsibility.”

Brown said he went directly to the school board to address the matter shortly after their meeting.

Cuba’s basketball team finished with a 4-22 record this past season, but won more games than they lost in each of the previous four seasons where Dace was at the helm.

Following the meeting, the school board voted in closed session about whether or not to remove Dace from his position as head coach.

The next morning, Davidson told The Cuba Free Press that the board voted 4-3 in favor of extending Dace’s coaching contract. Davidson added, “I will always lead with the utmost integrity for the well-being of all students, staff, and parents.”

Dace, who was not at the school board meeting, spoke shortly after the decision was made to extend his coaching contract about how much the community’s support meant to him.

“I am very thankful for the support and love that was shown,” Dace said. “I hope this brings us all even closer as a community, school and basketball program.”