Eddie Jordan, a Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach who once led Rutgers to the Final Four, is close to taking over at his alma mater for Mike Rice, who was fired after video was released of him physically and verbally abusing players.
A source told the Associated Press that Jordan, a Washington, D.C. native, is meeting Sunday with interim athletic director Carl Kirschner to finalize the language in the contract before an announcement can be made. A deal could be in place by Monday, with a press conference later in the week, according to AP.
Jordan, 58, was the starting point guard for the Scarlet Knights from 1973-77 and ran the team that advanced to the 1976 Final Four. He has been a head coach with three NBA teams — Sacramento, Washington and Philadelphia.
He would take over for Rice, who was shown on video kicking and grabbing players while uttering anti-gay slurs at them in practice. Rice was fired April 3, a day after the video aired on ESPN. Athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned April 5.
Jordan, who will also meet with Rutgers President Robert Barchi, left the Scarlet Knights as the program’s career leader in assists and steals. He was the point guard during the most successful era of the program’s history, and was an assistant on coach Bob Wenzel’s staff in 1991 when the Scarlet Knights last made the NCAA tournament.
When Pernetti hired Rice away from Robert Morris in 2010, Jordan, who played for four NBA teams, also interviewed for the position. Ultimately, Pernetti saw more in the volatile Rice, who had just taken the Colonials to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
