The Fizz was present at the RAC for last night’s SU 81-65 win over Rutgers. The situation is not a pretty one.
I started chatting up an usher about some of the recent articles of fans and boosters calling for basketball coach Fred Hill’s job. His response?“I think it’s time to get rid of him now.”
Ouch.
Then there’s¬†this New York Post story about the game:
“Under coach Fred Hill Jr., the Rutgers basketball program has plummeted to depths it had not seen in two decades; its once-rabid fan base going from apathetic to embarrassed.”
Yeah, you could say things haven’t been so great for Fred Hill – a long time assistant at places like Marquette, Seton Hall, Villanova and Fairleigh Dickinson.
He’s had his¬†highs and his lows this season, but mostly lows.
His grasp on the New Jersey area is solid and nabbing RU’s first McDonald’s All-American in sophomore Mike Rosario is proof. But the clock is ticking.
Former player J.R. Inman gave some advice to Rosario on his Facebook page a few days ago.
“Man dude, do yourself a favor and continue to put up them numbers and at the end of the season either transfer or enter the draft. Fred can’t do anything but hold you back.”
And star player Gregory Echenique just announced that he’ll be transferring to (drumroll please)¬†Creighton.
Under Hill, Rutgers has gone 8-44 in the Big East over the last three years and is 0-4 to start this year’s conference slate.
How do you deal with the adversity Coach?
“We’ve hit a setback. But if you hit a brick wall, are you going to find a way around it, go over it or run through it? I don’t know if we’re going to go around it, over it or through it, but we’re going to get there.”
What about building a bomb shelter underneath it?
If anything, this only bodes well for Orange recruiting because a lack of stability (and winning) in a Rutgers program combined with a (presumably) new head coach in the near future will make it even harder to bring in decent prospects from the NYC-Metro area.
Send ’em up I-81!
Right now it sounds like Fred Hill is to Rutgers Basketball as Groobers was to SU Football.
Not. Good.
