PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Former Rutgers coach Fred Hill, who accepted a buyout last year after an incident at a Scarlet Knights baseball game, will join Northwestern as an assistant coach, according to two persons with knowledge of the situation.
The persons spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because Northwestern hasn’t announced the move yet.
Provided his letter of appointment is approved, Hill, a Verona, N.J., native, will join the staff of Bill Carmody, a Spring Lake, N.J., native, as it tries to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament for the first time. Northwestern has been to the last three NITs.
Hill, 52, compiled a record of 47-77 on the basketball court for Rutgers, but will be most remembered for what he did at a Big East baseball game last year. From the stands, Hill, whose father, Fred, Sr., is the longtime baseball coach for the Scarlet Knights, got into a shouting match with Pitt’s baseball coaching staff.
After the incident, Fred, Jr., resigned so that he could receive an $850,000 settlement. His pay cycle at Rutgers has run its course, allowing him to join the Wildcats. He was replaced at Rutgers by Mike Rice, who left Robert Morris for the post. Rutgers went 15-17 in Hill’s last season, and finished with the same record this year under Rice.
This will be Hill’s 10th assignment as an assistant coach, including Big East stops at Villanova, Seton Hall, and Rutgers, before he was promoted in 2006. A former guard at Montclair State, Hill is known for his strong recruiting ties in New Jersey.
Once the deal is finalized, he will replace Mitch Henderson, who left Northwestern to take the head coaching position at Princeton.
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