Eddie Jordan Expected To Be Introduced As Rutgers Coach Tuesday
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Rutgers' board of governors will meet Tuesday to sign off on a contract that will allow Los Angeles Lakers assistant Eddie Jordan to take over the Scarlet Knights' scandal-marred basketball program.
The university said Monday morning that the board is expected to discuss the proposed appointment in a conference call. In a statement released later in the day, the athletic department announced a basketball press conference at 4:30 EDT Tuesday, in which Jordan will likely be introduced.
Jordan reached a tentative agreement on a five-year contract last week. The deal is worth more than $1 million per year, according to multiple reports.
The official hiring will come 20 days after Mike Rice was fired after a video showed him grabbing and throwing balls at players, and uttering anti-gay slurs during practices across his three seasons. The scandal also forced former athletic director Tim Pernetti to resign.
Jordan, 58, played for the Scarlet Knights from 1973-77, and was the point guard on the team that went to the Final Four in 1976. He interviewed for the position in 2010, as well, when Rice eventually landed the job.
He'll have plenty of work to do. Rutgers went 15-16 last season, and since the schedule ended, five Scarlet Knights have asked to leave the program. The latest is starting guard Eli Carter, who broke his leg late in the season.
The NCAA on Monday said it will work with the receiving institutions to process each transfer request, and including waiver requests to forego sitting out a season. Those will be judged a case-by-case basis.
"NCAA staff is prepared to move quickly in reviewing any request it receives," the NCAA said in an email to The Associated Press.
Rice did not make it to postseason play in his three years on the job, and Rutgers overall hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 199. Jordan's first season will be Rutgers' last in the Big East, and the Scarlet Knights will join the Big Ten Conference in 2014-15.
Jordan's selection has been well received at the university, which has been embarrassed by the video's fallout, and had some donors threaten to cut off funding. The university subsequently is reviewing all of its sports and suspended men's lacrosse coach Brian Brecht indefinitely on Friday for allegations of verbal abuse.
Jordan has been a head coach in the NBA with Sacramento, Washington and Philadelphia, posting a 257-343 record. He played in the NBA from 1977-84, winning a championship with the Lakers in 1982.
Besides the Lakers, Jordan also served as an assistant coach with Sacramento and New Jersey, helping the Nets reach the NBA Finals twice (2002, 2003).
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