Why Providence’s Late Night Madness is Important

The building was rocking. The student section was standing and cheering loudly. Ed Cooley was raising his arms to keep the volume up. The players were feeding off the crowd’s energy. While this might sound like a Saturday night game in February at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this was the scene at last Friday’s Late Night Madness inside Mullaney Gymnasium.

The atmosphere was electric and no disrespect to Jalen Rose, who was outstanding, but Ed Cooley was the master of ceremonies. Cooley manages to command the room even when the room is a 20,000 square foot gym. Dressing in all white for his entrance to the Madness event, Cooley got the crowd pumped up and had the recruits smiling and laughing the entire time he was on the microphone. One thing that Cooley stressed to the students in attendance was that they need to carry this enthusiasm and noise to the Dunk. I’m sure there were a lot of students there for the experience of Madness and the post-Madness concert with Big Sean but at least getting them in the door is important.

Cox Hub

An event like Late Night Madness has become another part of the arms race in college athletics. Not only do you need to have updated facilities that are world class but you also need to get a recognizable names to be involved whether as an MC or entertainment or both. Recruits and students are almost just as likely to show up at a school’s Madness event to see the rapper or entertainment that will perform at the end of the night as they are for a school’s fit for them on the court. Ed Cooley recognizes that. During Providence’s Media Day before the Madness festivities Cooley told FriarBasketball.com’s Craig Belhumeur “when you look nationally at what school’s are doing on their Madness days…[having Jalen Rose and Big Sean at Madness] gives you cache, it brings a community together. It’s kind of a celebration and a start of a new season and this is something we look forward to every year.”

The Basketball Diary

Speaking of recruits, Providence had a very impressive turnout of local recruits mixed in with a top 50 national recruit from New Jersey in Temple Gibbs and two commitments in Ryan Fazekas (2015) and Javon Taylor (2017). Obviously getting the kids to campus and involved in an event like this is a positive but I had one coach tell me he would almost prefer to have kids come and watch practice so they could see some of the basketball side. Also, the coach pointed out that Cooley’s time is very limited on a day like Late Night Madness and so he likely wouldn’t get to spend much individual time with the recruits which is part of Cooley’s strength as a recruiter. A positive on that front is that Gibbs got to Providence early so he got to have some individual time with Cooley while also taking in Media Day and seeing what that experience would be like as a Friar.

Providence College Athletics

To think back to a few years ago when Keno Davis was the head coach at Providence and the stark contrast in personalities between Davis and Cooley (read: Cooley has one) it’s amazing how far the program has come from those dark days where the student dance routines dominated the event and the entertainment was a performer that no one knew. It’s good to keep that in perspective. Along with the on court success that Cooley has orchestrated he has also changed the culture of the program and connected with the campus. We don’t have to look too far back to a time when the basketball players were hated by their fellow students because of off the court issues including the senseless and brutal assault that landed a student in the hospital and two former players in jail.

Steve Napolillo

Providence Athletics, specifically Bob Driscoll and Steve Napolillo and their teams, needs to get a massive shout out for being able to raise a record number of dollars in 2013 and also being willing to spend those dollars where it will help the program like charter flights and recognizable performers like Nick Cannon and Big Sean. Late Night Madness is important for recruiting and student involvement but it’s also important because it’s just another positive sign that the Providence College basketball program is heading in the right direction, brick by brick.

To watch a replay of the Late Night Madness event courtesy of FriarTV:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUGohM_QLTw]

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3 responses to “Why Providence’s Late Night Madness is Important”

  1. […] ICYMI – Why Providence’s Late Night Madness is Important […]

  2. […] Gibbs arrived in Providence early in the day on Friday and was able to spend some quality time with the players, coaching staff and Cooley himself – Gibbs attended Providence’s Media Day – before taking in the festivities and concert by rapper Big Sean. I had one coach tell me that he realizes getting the kids to campus is a good thing but he almost wishes they would come for a practice instead of Madness because at Madness they don’t get to spend a lot of time, if any, with Cooley. The more time a recruit spends with Cooley the better as building relationships is obviously one of his strengths as a recruiter. You can read my story from earlier this week about why an event like Late Night Madness is important by clicking here. […]

  3. […] years ago I wrote an article titled “Why Providence’s Late Night Madness is Important.” I typed up that article after attending the 2014 event in Mullaney Gym that featured Jalen Rose […]

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