Dear Rutgers Faithful,
I sincerely hope we all keep in perspective the difficult and sensitive predicament Rutgers Men's Basketball is in having to remove one of its most successful basketball letterwinners in head coach, Eddie Jordan. While the consensus and folks in authority obviously felt compelled to execute this now, it was both necessary and warranted and the move immediately after the last game of the 2015'-16' season shows initiative and a willingness to find the right leader of the program and a quest to change for the better in future seasons by newly hired Athletic Director Patrick Hobbs. Let's not pile on Eddie Jordan, but have enough vision to realize moving forward correctly in arguably the most competitive college basketball and athletic conference in the country must remain the fundamental mission of Rutgers Men's Basketball and Athletic Department.
Those of us who know that successful Power 5 Conference athletic teams, programs, essentially require athletic department's, marketing divisions, development and fundraising offices, along with the commitment of the university community as a whole is paramount towards building consistent success that last and is layered with character, integrity and academic success. It's been said that major college sports programs are the front porch in the marketing and exposure universities.
A key ingredient towards making this a "positive" reality is infusing the entire support staff, who interacts with Rutgers Student-Athletes, this includes coaches, and administrators with as many "quality" Rutgers alumni, athletic letterwinners and invested Rutgers supporters who bring passion and a high level of experiences in the intercollegiate athletic arena and a proven track record of success and relatable national and international network connections.
One such needed individual who's experienced in the very arena Rutgers Athletics is currently in is Brian Ellerbe. A former Rutgers Men's Basketball Letterwinner and a former McDonald's High School All-American and a graduate of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning Policy and Research. He was a starter on the last Rutgers Men's Basketball Team that "won" an NCAA Tournament Game (1983'). A former Rutgers Graduate Assistant Basketball Coach who subsequently coached college basketball at the highest level as a head coach and assistant at such programs as; Bowling Green (under now Univ of Miami Coach Jim Larranaga) George Mason ( in 1988' GMU earned programs 1st NCAA Tournament Bid) Univ. of South Carolina (current SEC Power ), University of Virginia ( 3 NCAA Tournaments, 1 NIT Championship). Brian Ellerbe was also an assistant coach at George Washington, DePaul and is currently at Morgan State where he's influencing the men's basketball program and athletic department.
Important to note that Brian was Head Basketball Coach at Loyola University in Maryland (at age 30) on his way to becoming Head Coach at the Univ. of Michigan (NCAA Tournament Bid & NIT Bid ) where his Wolverines won the Inaugural Big Ten Tournament Championship in 1998'. Over his career Brian has recruited several of his fraternal McDonald's high school all-americans and future NBA players such as Bryant Stith ( 13th Overall Pick Denver Nuggets 92' ) Cory Alexander ( 29th Overall Pick San Antonio Spurs 95') Junior Burrough (33rd Overall Pick Boston Celtics 95') Robert "Tractor" Traylor ( 6th Overall Pick Dallas Mavericks 98') Bernard Robinson (45th Overall Pick Charlotte Bobcats 2004' ) and Jamal Crawford ( 8th Overall Pick Chicago Bulls 2000 )
Brian Ellerbe's professional career spans outside college basketball as well. In 2002 he was asked by the City of Detroit and Detroit Public Schools to create a public private partnership by being the creative director and designer of a multi-purpose academic and athletic facility. At the completion of the project, Brian partnered with a general construction firm performing in both Michigan and Nevada that completed projects totalling more than 200M from 2004' to 2008'. Brian's athletic and business career has seen him succeed in athletic business arenas nationally which would be applicable and useful to Rutgers. Let's hope that the Rutgers University Athletic leaders reach out and seek Brian Ellerbe assistance in helping us win both on and off the playing field.
Brian H. Ellerbe
I sincerely hope we all keep in perspective the difficult and sensitive predicament Rutgers Men's Basketball is in having to remove one of its most successful basketball letterwinners in head coach, Eddie Jordan. While the consensus and folks in authority obviously felt compelled to execute this now, it was both necessary and warranted and the move immediately after the last game of the 2015'-16' season shows initiative and a willingness to find the right leader of the program and a quest to change for the better in future seasons by newly hired Athletic Director Patrick Hobbs. Let's not pile on Eddie Jordan, but have enough vision to realize moving forward correctly in arguably the most competitive college basketball and athletic conference in the country must remain the fundamental mission of Rutgers Men's Basketball and Athletic Department.
Those of us who know that successful Power 5 Conference athletic teams, programs, essentially require athletic department's, marketing divisions, development and fundraising offices, along with the commitment of the university community as a whole is paramount towards building consistent success that last and is layered with character, integrity and academic success. It's been said that major college sports programs are the front porch in the marketing and exposure universities.
A key ingredient towards making this a "positive" reality is infusing the entire support staff, who interacts with Rutgers Student-Athletes, this includes coaches, and administrators with as many "quality" Rutgers alumni, athletic letterwinners and invested Rutgers supporters who bring passion and a high level of experiences in the intercollegiate athletic arena and a proven track record of success and relatable national and international network connections.
One such needed individual who's experienced in the very arena Rutgers Athletics is currently in is Brian Ellerbe. A former Rutgers Men's Basketball Letterwinner and a former McDonald's High School All-American and a graduate of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning Policy and Research. He was a starter on the last Rutgers Men's Basketball Team that "won" an NCAA Tournament Game (1983'). A former Rutgers Graduate Assistant Basketball Coach who subsequently coached college basketball at the highest level as a head coach and assistant at such programs as; Bowling Green (under now Univ of Miami Coach Jim Larranaga) George Mason ( in 1988' GMU earned programs 1st NCAA Tournament Bid) Univ. of South Carolina (current SEC Power ), University of Virginia ( 3 NCAA Tournaments, 1 NIT Championship). Brian Ellerbe was also an assistant coach at George Washington, DePaul and is currently at Morgan State where he's influencing the men's basketball program and athletic department.
Important to note that Brian was Head Basketball Coach at Loyola University in Maryland (at age 30) on his way to becoming Head Coach at the Univ. of Michigan (NCAA Tournament Bid & NIT Bid ) where his Wolverines won the Inaugural Big Ten Tournament Championship in 1998'. Over his career Brian has recruited several of his fraternal McDonald's high school all-americans and future NBA players such as Bryant Stith ( 13th Overall Pick Denver Nuggets 92' ) Cory Alexander ( 29th Overall Pick San Antonio Spurs 95') Junior Burrough (33rd Overall Pick Boston Celtics 95') Robert "Tractor" Traylor ( 6th Overall Pick Dallas Mavericks 98') Bernard Robinson (45th Overall Pick Charlotte Bobcats 2004' ) and Jamal Crawford ( 8th Overall Pick Chicago Bulls 2000 )
Brian Ellerbe's professional career spans outside college basketball as well. In 2002 he was asked by the City of Detroit and Detroit Public Schools to create a public private partnership by being the creative director and designer of a multi-purpose academic and athletic facility. At the completion of the project, Brian partnered with a general construction firm performing in both Michigan and Nevada that completed projects totalling more than 200M from 2004' to 2008'. Brian's athletic and business career has seen him succeed in athletic business arenas nationally which would be applicable and useful to Rutgers. Let's hope that the Rutgers University Athletic leaders reach out and seek Brian Ellerbe assistance in helping us win both on and off the playing field.
Brian H. Ellerbe
