Rutgers University is expected to name Eddie Jordan its new mens basketball coach.

 

Eddie Jordan
Eddie Jordan (Stephen Dunn, Getty Images)
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The Times of Trenton reports that Rutgers officials met with Jordan, currently an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers, on Saturday. At the end of the meeting both sides agreed that Jordan would take the job; an announcement will likely be made this week.

“The only college I would coach would be Rutgers,” Jordan told The Times of Trenton. “And I believe it makes complete sense for me to be the next Rutgers coach.”

Jordan is a member of the Rutgers team that went to the Final Four in 1976 and went on to become head ,coach of the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and, most recently, the 2009-10 Philadelphia 76ers and has a career regular season mark of 257-343 (.428) and a playoff record of 8-18 (.308). He was also lead assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets teams that went to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

His college experience includes being a volunteer assistant following his retirement from the NBA in 1984 and again in 1988 after serving as assistant coach for Boston College.

The Rutgers job became available when Mike Rice was fired after video shown on ESPN showed Rice verbally abusing players and throwing basketballs at them in practice.

Jordan's name began to surface last week, after Dan Hurley received a contract extension from Rhode Island and elected to stay at the Atlantic 10 school. Hurley was contacted by Rutgers on Monday, and was the first name on the school's list. A former high school coach at St. Benedict's Prep, in Newark, N.J., and a graduate of famed St. Anthony's, in Jersey City, N.J., where he played for his father, Bob, Sr., Hurley also played at Seton Hall and was an assistant at Rutgers, so his ties to New Jersey are strong.

But Rhode Island gave him a deal through the 2019-20 season, and the school promised to commit itself financially to improving the program. Hurley went 8-21 with the Rams last year, after posting a 38-23 record in two seasons at Wagner.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Other than Jordan, he is the only known candidate to interview with Kirschner.

 

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