Updated

After spending two days in New Jersey talking with Rutgers about taking over as head coach of the scandal-marred basketball program, assistant coach Eddie Jordan returned to Los Angeles and got back to work preparing for the Lakers' regular-season finale.

Lakers spokesman John Black said in an email to The Associated Press that Jordan was in coaches' meetings on Monday. The 58-year-old, who led Rutgers to the Final Four in 1976, had left New Jersey earlier in the day.

Jordan has emerged as the front-runner to replace Mike Rice, who was fired less than two weeks ago after a video was released that showed him kicking and grabbing players while uttering anti-gay slurs at them in practice over the past 2½ seasons.