The Rutgers basketball program is coming off one of the worst seasons imaginable as it won just one Big Ten game and seven games overall. As a result of the poor season Rutgers decided to move on from head coach Eddie Jordan after just three seasons.
Jordan was brought in to stabilize the program and bring it out of what had been some very tough times. Unfortunately Jordan was unable to do that as the program has not shown as much growth as the school would have liked, and now it will start over again by looking for a new coach.
The first name that was brought up as a replacement for Jordan was Rhode Island head coach Dan Hurley. Hurley is from New Jersey and was an assistant coach with Rutgers from 1997-2001, so it seemed like a natural fit, but there were always questions about whether he would want the job. Rutgers' program is in a bad way right now, but Hurley's current team is expected to be very good next year.
There was a report earlier this week that Hurley and Rutgers were in talks about him becoming the next head coach; after that it was revealed that it is "not a foregone conclusion". Hurley was Rutgers' top choice to replace Jordan, but on Wednesday morning he pulled his name out of consideration.
Athletic director Pat Hobbs would like to name a new head coach as soon as possible, but that may not happen now that Hurley turned Rutgers down. The other potential candidates include Tim Cluess of Iona, Steve Pikiell of Stony Brook and maybe the most interesting of them all, ESPN analyst and former Duke star Jay Williams.
Williams does not have any coaching experience, but he is a guy that is well-known, has made a lot of connections in his time at ESPN and certainly knows his basketball. Williams is a native of Plainfield, N.J., and he has already spoken with Hobbs about the opening, although it was not a formal interview. Williams has reportedly worked his way into being a legitimate candidate now that Hurley turned down the offer.
Williams was choosing between Duke and Rutgers out of high school before he ultimately decided to go to Durham, N.C., where he won the 2001 national championship. With Hurley declining the offer, a decision which many people thought was the right one, Williams becomes a very intriguing candidate. Williams has never coached before, but he is certainly someone recruits will gravitate toward, so he would have a decent shot at turning things around for the program.
