Sports

Rutgers in talks with Lakers assistant Jordan for coaching job: report

Rutgers is trying to lure one of its most prominent basketball alums home.

A week after the Mike Rice video scandal, Rutgers is in serious talks with Lakers assistant Eddie Jordan about becoming the Scarlet Knights’ next coach, according to Yahoo! Sports. Jordan will meet face-to-face with Rutgers officials this weekend, sources told the website, to try and finalize an agreement.

Danny Hurley, a former top New Jersey high school coach, turned down the job earlier this week and signed an extension with Rhode Island.

Jordan played on the Rutgers 1976 Final Four team and Yahoo! reports that he has strong backing from alumni and trustees, including NBA commissioner David Stern. Jordan has been the head coach of the Kings, Wizards and 76ers in the NBA. He was a college assistant in the 1980s with stops at Rutgers, Old Dominion and Boston College.

Rice was fired last week after a video surfaced showing him physically and verbally abusing players, including throwing basketballs at them. Rice also used homosexual slurs and other inappropriate language in the footage.

Athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned in the wake of the scandal. The school knew about the video in November, but only suspended Rice three games and fined him $50,000.