Fred Hill is no longer Rutgers head basketball coach, The Post has learned.
Hill told his players at a meeting early this afternoon. He was gone by the time all the returning players — other than sophomore Mike Rosario, who is mulling a transfer — held a pickup game at 3 p.m. They were instructed not to speak to the media, and shuttled off the court on the far end of the RAC from the press.
His profanity-laced tirade at a Rutgers baseball game has given the university the excuse it needed to get out of the $1.8 million he’s owed through the next three years. Hill was offered a buyout — about $600,000 according to a source — and if he declines, he’ll be fired for cause.
The list of potential replacements include Robert Morris’ Mike Rice, Virginia Tech’s Seth Greenberg, ex-Ohio State coach Jim O’Brien, and ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla
Hill survived losing marks in all four of his campaigns, but will be undone by his behavior. MyCentralJersey.com first reported his outburst at Rutgers’ win over Pittsburgh last Thursday, when he walked on the field and screamed profanities at Panthers coaches. Friday, Pitt AD Steve Pederson called Rutgers counterpart Tim Pernetti to complain about Hill’s conduct.
Hill not only refused to apologize but initially lied to Pernetti and claimed he never used profanity. After Pernetti ordered him to stay away from Bainton Field for the final two games of the Rutgers-Pitt series, MyCentralJersey.com reported the AD saw Hill watching from his car.
With Hill having violated the “principles of conduct” clause in his deal, termination is a fait accompli and the severance is the only question. That, and how many more players bolt a program in disarray and who takes over?
Greg Echenique transferred midseason, leading scorer Mike Rosario has requested a transfer, and incoming recruit Gilvydas Biruta called Pernetti on Monday to discuss getting out of his letter of intent.
Rice, who played at Fordham, is 73-30 in three years at Robert Morris with consecutive NCAA tournament bids and turned down the Tulane job on Tuesday. Plainview native Greenberg — who coached the Hokies to three 20-win campaigns in the past four winters, including 25-8 this season — remains a viable option.
Brooklyn-born O’Brien, who won his lawsuit against Ohio State and had all restrictions placed on him tossed out by the NCAA appeals committee, would be a huge asset in a possible Rutgers move to the Big Ten.
Brooklynite Fraschilla led Manhattan and St. John’s to the Big Dance, and recently told The Post he is ready to get back into coaching.