Jordan Not Rutgers' Knight In Shining Armor

Former 76ers head coach Eddie Jordan, who once played for Rutgers, has declined opportunity to be next coach of Scarlet Knights, who have yet to hire a replacement for Fred Hill. (Photo courtesy of NBA.com)

When Fred Hill officially resigned as head coach at Rutgers, the search to replace him centered on three names, with a former player that led the Scarlet Knights to their most recent Final Four appearance included within that trio. About a week later, that triumvirate of candidates has been narrowed down to two; with former Rutgers player and recently dismissed Philadelphia 76ers coach Eddie Jordan withdrawing his prospective candidacy from the job just days before a scheduled meeting with Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti.

Jordan supposedly declined the position to remain within the coaching ranks in the NBA; and with his departure from the Rutgers coaching search, a report by Brendan Prunty of the Newark-Star Ledger now has the Scarlet Knights zeroing in on either former Manhattan and St. John's coach Fran Fraschilla, or current Robert Morris head man Mike Rice, who was linked to the Seton Hall opening before the Pirates decided to hire Iona's Kevin Willard as the successor to Bobby Gonzalez.

Whoever takes over the Rutgers program will inherit a team that will lose the services of leading scorer Mike Rosario, who recently transferred to Florida, thus forcing him to sit out the 2010-11 season. Forward Dane Miller will likely be the team leader next season, as he comes off a stellar freshman campaign.