5 (Final) Truths of the Ed Cooley Era

Putting a bow on Cooley's 12 seasons in Friartown

In case you’ve been under a rock since the holiday season wrapped up, Providence hosts former head coach Ed Cooley and the Georgetown Hoyas this Saturday at 12:30 pm in one of the most anticipated games of the college basketball season. If you think this game has lost a bit of its luster due to Providence’s recent struggles, I am here to tell you that you are wrong. It will be the most hostile environment of the year. Tickets have been sold out for months and the current ‘get-in’ price via Seatgeek is in excess of $200. I would imagine it will be a banner day for every downtown Providence bar from Murphy’s to Bradley Cafe.

Much has been written, on this site and others, about Cooley’s departure from Friartown. It’s hard to believe that chaos, the flight tracking, the anonymous Twitter sources, that ill-fated interview with Morey Hershgordon and Steve Napolillo’s response, was only 10 months ago. What a ride it’s been since then. With the game of the year less than 24 hours away, and with the benefit of hindsight, what better time to reflect, and make a final judgment on, Ed Cooley’s time at Providence College.

1. Ed Cooley was 242-153 (.613) during his tenure at Providence College

   Cooley ended up as the 2nd winningest coach by total wins, and 5th by winning percentage (excluding Kim English) in Providence College history. At the rate Cooley was collecting wins, it’s not hard to imagine he’d have eclipsed Joe Mullaney for top spot on the below list within the next two seasons. Was he an X’s and O’s mastermind? No. But he was a great recruiter and deployed a style of basketball that, while not the most aesthetically pleasing, won far more games than he lost.

   

   Even if he never found March success, Cooley could’ve continued racking up 18-22 win seasons, competing at or around the top of the Big East, winning the occasional NCAA tournament game, and have been well on his way to seeing a statue built of himself in his home town. That’s certainly part of the reason his exit stung so much, the future was written.

   It was clear to anyone paying attention that was how the Cooley Era was supposed to end. With a statue. No really, the existing statue of Providence greats Dave Gavitt and Joe Mullaney outside of the Ruane Friar Development Center was literally repositioned to add Cooley to it once he retired off into the sunset.

   

   Alas, Friartown will have to wait a bit longer to see who fills that seat.

2. Cooley struggled mightily to find postseason success at Providence