Jerry Carino

@njhoopshaven

Rutgers has moved a step closer to hiring the top target for its men’s basketball coaching vacancy.

Sources with knowledge of the situation say discussions between athletic director Pat Hobbs and Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley are underway.

The hiring of Hurley would widely be viewed as a home run. He rebuilt struggling programs at Wagner and Rhode Island, recruiting well and fielding rugged defenses in both places.

The Rams were expected to contend for the Atlantic 10 title this winter before suffering a rash of injuries to star players. They still managed to go 17-15 overall and 9-9 in the league.

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The consummate Jersey guy, the 43-year-old Hurley starred for his legendary father, Bob, at St. Anthony High School, played on powerhouse teams at Seton Hall University and coached at Rutgers as an assistant under Kevin Bannon in the late 1990s.

The main obstacle Hobbs faces is convincing Hurley of Rutgers’ commitment to the sport, which has flagged partly due to institutional neglect over a 10-year period.

While Hobbs is said to be promising Big Ten-level financial and facility support, concerns remain about the commitment from the top of Rutgers administration, including president Robert Barchi.

The Scarlet Knights’ last winning season and postseason appearance (in the NIT) came in 2006. They went 7-25 this season — the program’s worst winning percentage since 1956 — and Hobbs fired third-year skipper Eddie Jordan last week.

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Hurley turned down the Rutgers job three years ago, before Jordan was hired by then-interim athletic director Carl Kirschner, over similar concerns.

But the new piece to the puzzle is Hobbs, who came aboard in November. A hoops-centric guy, Hobbs hired Kevin Willard for Seton Hall in 2010. Saturday, as the Pirates won their first Big East Tournament title since 1993, Hobbs watched from courtside.

A decision is expected from Hurley one way or the other within the coming days.

'I want to get it done as soon as possible,” Hobbs told reporters. “I would like to get it done within a week. I don't know if that will happen, but that's the goal.”

Staff writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com