Former Lehigh and East Stroudsburg coach Sal Mentesana will join Fred Hill’s staff at Rutgers as an assistant, while Craig Carter will shift to recruiting coordinator.
“Sal Mentesana possesses a wealth of experience and we are very excited to welcome him into the Rutgers basketball family,” Rutgers head coach Fred Hill said in a statement. “Sal and I have an established relationship and I’m confident that his veteran perspective will be of great benefit to our program.”
Carter, who played at Rutgers from 1987-91 and later was an assistant, changes jobs.
“Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program,” Hill said. “Craig Carter has always been a tremendous ambassador for Rutgers Basketball. He has done a terrific job of building and cultivating relationships in the Metropolitan area. Craig will oversee and coordinate all of our recruiting efforts going forward.”
Mentesana, 61, is a Providence alum.
In 15 seasons as a head coach, he posted a record of 176-242. He has ties to the Hill family, having spent four years as an assistant coach to Brian Hill, Fred’s uncle, at Lehigh.
Numerous sources said Hill wanted assistant Jimmy Carr to take the demotion, but Carr wouldn’t have it.
Carr and Darren Savino continue to be listed as assistant coaches on the school’s Website, but Rutgers does not have a single African-American assistant.
LEGENDS CLASSIC MATCHUPS ANNOUNCED
Rutgers will face UMass and Michigan State will take on Florida in the semifinals of the Legends Classic on Nov. 27 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
The games will tip at 5:30 p.m. and the final tips at 5:30 on Nov. 28.
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