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If Eddie Jordan is a fan of classic rock, I expect he's been staying away from those particular radio stations over the past several weeks, as rock station staple "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, might be hitting a little too close to home for "Fast" Eddie these days.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>2015 Needham Broughton (NC)/Rutgers commit F Austin Burnette is reopening his recruitment. (HT <a href="https://twitter.com/Justinbyerly">@Justinbyerly</a>) <a href="http://t.co/6MKlgDgg3I">http://t.co/6MKlgDgg3I</a></p>— Verbal Commits (@VerbalCommits) <a href="https://twitter.com/VerbalCommits/statuses/489911670815215616">July 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Not even a month after losing Leroy Butts to the University of Rhode Island, Class of 2015 forward Austin Burnette announced his de-commitment, leaving Jordan's cupboard devoid of any recruits for the 2015-2016 college basketball season. Burnette has yet to reveal a specific reason for reopening his recruitment.
Butt's de-commitment was not unexpected, as he was peaking the interest of several high profile teams (URI, Georgetown, Cincinnati) throughout an excellent junior season at Clinton Christian High School. Burnette, however, was perhaps even more of a gut punch to Jordan and Rutgers, as the 6-6 wing out of North Carolina isn't exactly flooded with scholarship offers at the moment. It's the kind of unexpected hit that, while not devastating, leaves you gasping for air and clutching your bowels for a few moments of excruciating agony.
Burnette was a nice piece to have in hand, especially considering the serious lack of wing depth in Piscataway. Jordan's loss, while not necessarily a crippling blow to the team itself, could be the start of a troubling trend. Rutgers has a certain propensity for losing recruits, either to de-commitment or transfer, and if they are to succeed in the basketball gauntlet that is the Big Ten, this is a potentially crippling habit that needs to be reversed.
Jordan now has four open scholarship for the 2015 season and a "fresh start," if one is to look at such a thing optimistically (At this point, Rutgers fans really need to maintain a "glass half full" outlook on life).