Source: Rutgers fires Eddie Jordan after 3 years as head men's basketball coach
INDIANAPOLIS — Rutgers has fired Eddie Jordan after three years as the head men's basketball coach, a source close to the program with knowledge of the situation told The Daily Targum.
Jordan met with the team on Tuesday shortly after he was notified of the decision, according to the source, who requested anonymity because no formal announcement had been made by the University at the time this story was initially published.
Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports first broke the story on Tuesday afternoon. The University published a news release nearly two hours later in the afternoon, citing Athletic Director Patrick Hobbs in the announcement to confirm the action made by Rutgers to part ways with Jordan.
“I have decided that we need new leadership for our men’s basketball program,” Hobbs said in a statement. “Rutgers University is deeply appreciative of Coach Jordan's efforts these past three years. He is and will always remain a valued member of the Rutgers community."
The decision comes less than 24 hours after Rutgers' season ended with an 89-72 loss to Nebraska in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
After the loss, Jordan declined comment on the future of his job, stating that his focus was on how his young and undermanned team was built for "immediate" success in the upcoming 2016-17 season.
Star freshman guard Corey Sanders vehemently defended his head coach in a postgame interview with The Daily Targum, but assured that he would be back in Piscataway for his sophomore season "no matter what."
The Scarlet Knights (7-25, 1-17) posted a program-record 17-game losing streak in their second year of Big Ten play, struggling to build off of a first-year campaign where they ended with 15 straight losses in one of college basketball's toughest conferences.
In three years at the helm, Jordan went 29-68 overall with a 3-33 record in the Big Ten. He first took over in 2013-14, following the Mike Rice scandal with a 12-21 mark overall and a 5-13 clip in the team's lone season in the American Athletic Conference.
The Knights regressed in each of his three years back on the Banks, posting a 10-22 record in 2014-15 before hitting rock bottom this past season.
Jordan was owed $2.17 million for the next two years of the five-year contract he signed in 2013.
For updates on the Rutgers men's basketball team, follow @GarrettStepien and @TargumSports on Twitter.
