Rutgers men's basketball players advocate for interim coach David Cox - ALL-MET ELITE

Rutgers men's basketball players

 advocate for interim coach

 David Cox 

 ALL-MET ELITE

ST.JOHNS HS.
WASHINGTON D.C.

 

Several members of the Rutgers men's basketball team held an impromptu press conference on campus Thursday in support of interim coach David Cox.

The players gathered at the base of the steps of Winants Hall, where the Rutgers Board of Governors was minutes from starting its meeting.

 

As the media swarmed around them, players said they felt their voices have not been heard since the April 3 firing of coach Mike Rice, who was shown on video clips physically abusing and yelling gay slurs and profanities at members of his team.

"We all decided to come together and let our voice be heard," said Kadeem Jack, one of the players.

 

Cox represents the support and strength the team needs at this point, said forward Wally Judge. Austin Johnson also was at Winants Hall.

The players spoke briefly and did not take questions from reporters.

Susan Kelley, mother of Logan Kelley, read a brief statement in support of Cox.

"Coach Cox needs to stay on as coach and steady hand in the rebuilding of the men's basketball program," she said.

 

Cox was Rice's first hire after he got the Rutgers job in 2010 and has some of the deepest recruiting ties on the East Coast -- having previously been a coach with DC Assault, a Washington, D.C., area AAU program.

 

Cox has 16 years of coaching experience and four seasons of collegiate playing experience on his resume. He enters his seventh straight season working in the BIG EAST Conference.
Cox served under head coach John Thompson III from 2007-08 to 2009-10, helping the Hoyas to a trio of post-season appearances, including NCAA Tournament berths in 2008 and 2010.

Prior to his position in the nation’s capital, Cox was director of basketball operations for head coach Jamie Dixon at the University of Pittsburgh in 2006-07. He was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program, served as a liaison to athletic department officials and coordinated practice, game day and daily schedules. During his season with the Panthers, Cox worked alongside Rice, who was an assistant coach.

Cox spent seven years as an assistant principal at his alma mater, St. John’s Preparatory High School, in Washington, D.C. His many duties at SJPHS from 1999-2006 included oversight of the school’s athletic department, supervision of all extra-curricular activities and serving as school disciplinarian.

Cox first coached at the high school level at Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C., where he was an assistant from 1996 to 1999.

Cox began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Washington D.C. Assault AAU program. He helped guide the team to the under-16 national championship in 2004. In assisting D.C. Assault head coach Curtis Malone, several of his players earned college scholarships, including Tre Kelley (South Carolina), Chris McCray (Maryland), Michael Beasley (Kansas State/Miami Heat), Nolan Smith (Duke/Portland Trail Blazers), Dante Cunningham (Villanova/Portland Trail Blazers), Arinze Onuaku (Syracuse) and Adrian Bowie (Maryland).