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Reports: Mike O’Koren, Greg Vetrone to join Rutgers coaching staff

Eddie Jordan

Rutgers coach Eddie Jordan shouts to his players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Temple in Piscataway, N.J., Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014. Rutgers won 71-66. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

AP

The 2013-14 season was a tough one for first-year Rutgers head coach Eddie Jordan, with his tenure beginning amidst controversy and the program going through its lone season as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Scarlet Knights lost 21 games, the last of which being a 92-31 defeat at the hands of Louisville in the conference tournament.

Jordan felt the need to make changes to his coaching staff, with David Cox being fired and Kyle Triggs’ contract not being renewed. Wednesday it was reported by multiple outlets that the replacements have been found, with former Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Greg “Shoes” Vetrone and Mike O’Koren joining the Rutgers coaching staff.

They’ll join Van Macon, the lone holdover from last year’s staff and one of two assistants to survive the end of the Mike Rice era (Cox was the other).

The news has yet to be made official by the school, but it is expected that Vetrone and O’Koren will have their new roles in time to hit the road for the July open recruiting periods. There are three five-day periods during the month in which coaches can hit the road and watch targets play, the first of which runs from July 9-13.

On the hiring of Vetrone and O’Koren, Jerry Carino of Gannett New Jersey wrote the following about the issues with last year’s coaching staff and where O’Koren can help the Scarlet Knights:

In reshaping his staff, Jordan made chemistry a priority after some of his people did not see eye-to-eye during Rutgers’ 12-21 campaign. O’Koren, a good friend who is universally well-liked in hardwood circles, should help in that regard. He also figures to provide tactical and player development support, especially for Rutgers’ bigs.

These hires will be important ones for Rutgers as they look to take steps in the right direction in 2014-15. That will be tough however, with the program playing its first season in the Big Ten. While the American was certainly formidable at the top, the conference didn’t have the depth that the Big Ten possesses.

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