Mike Rice Jr. the former Rutgers basketball head coach, is back on the sidelines.
Best know for his three seasons at Rutgers, Rice is the new head coach of Linden High School (Linden, New Jersey).
During his three seasons at Rutgers, Rice posted a 44-51 record. He was hired by Rutgers, then in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) following a very strong three years at Robert Morris.
In the NEC, Rice went a combined 73-31 with three regular-season titles. His teams went to the NCAA Tournament twice. Prior to his time at Robert Morris, Rice was an assistant at Pittsburgh.
He played college basketball at Fordham.
Rice was fired from Rutgers following allegations of abusive behavior and an ESPN Outside the Lines report that showed video of the team’s practices. The ESPN report detailed Rice’s behavior and led to his dismissal from the team.
Rice spoke with Jerry Carino of the Asbury Park Press on Thursday night about his hiring.
“I’ve learned a great deal,” Rice told Carino. “It’s about that trust you need to build with the student-athlete. This community and the passion they have in Linden, it just fits.”
Last year while playing a strong schedule in Group IV, Linden went 17-11. It was one of the largest public high schools in the state (ranked No. 64).
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To read the full article from Carino about Rice, click here.