!$@%$#^

Now THIS is a huge loss.

Rutgers sophomore guard Corey Chandler will transfer after the season ends, according to multiple sources.

To put this in perspective, it's analogous to Brian Leonard hypothetically wanting to transfer in 2004. CC was going to be the face of the program, as the crown jewel of Fred Hill's first full recruiting class. And now he's leaving. Even with Rosario in the fold, there's no excuse to not get Chandler more involved. Chandler is enormously talented, and there's no way to intrepret his failure to develop as anything but an indictment of how completely in over his head Hill is as a head coach.

I was going to wait until the end of the season to say this, but there's no time like the present: I recognize that Rutgers basketball is in a very bad situation right now, and that more instability is the last thing the program needs. The perception of perpetual rebuilding and a quick trigger finger are sure to turn off any future candidates that might be interested in the job. That doesn't change the fact that Hill has completely lost the entire fanbase. Expectations were low to begin with; and Rutgers proceeded to lose to low-majors and get blown out by a good portion of its conference schedule. The RAC is a ghost town now, and it's only going to get worse. Any short term pain has to be weighed against the potential damage from another season of double digit losses. It's a sunk cost now, and the real mistake would be to waste another year and fall even further behind the pack. There's no sense being in denial any longer. It's not going to happen; and I believe that the benefits of coming to terms with that fact outweigh the considerable costs. There is no good solution.

It's tough to say this, and it's not something that I do lightly; Hill had a compelling story, but wishful thinking only gets you so far. Most fans are personally fond of him, and would like him to remain involved with the program in some capacity. But, it's not going to happen. Maybe that sounds presumptious with such a young roster, and rumors of better players in the future, recruiting has to go hand in hand with player development and coaching. It's time to put feelers out to the likes of Eddie Jordan, Seth Greenberg, and Fran McCaffery. No assistants, midwesterners, and high school coaches need apply.