Today is the day. Ed Cooley returns to the city of his birth to face the wrath and ire of Providence Friar fans who used to worship and adore him. It’s been rightly mentioned in some other articles this week that there is a statue that was put up a few years ago when the $30M Ruane Development Center was built and PC left a spot alongside Dave Gavitt and Joe Mullaney for Ed Cooley. The man went from a planned statue on campus to being the most hated man in the state of Rhode Island. How did that happen and, most puzzlingly, why?
I initially dismissed the rumors outright when I started being asked about whether there was any truth probably in mid to late February 2023. It just made no sense, I kept thinking. I could have maybe seen him leaving for a job like Michigan as Cooley flirted with a few years ago (and got another contract extension for a “lifetime”, his first of two “lifetime” contract extensions) but why would he leave his hometown for another job in the league, one that was so, so, so down? It had been believed that Cooley didn’t really want to coach long into his 60’s, so taking on a downtrodden Georgetown program made so little sense when considering all the known and believed facts.
Prior to him leaving, there was discussion about succession planning among the fanbase that maybe Cooley was grooming former star player LaDontae Henton to take over in 5 or so years when Cooley happily retired into the sunset of a TV career. I don’t buy the PR campaign that Cooley and his friends in college basketball media tried to spin that of course Georgetown is a better job and of course he’d be crazy not to take it. That he had “maxed out” what the Providence job could be. Putting everything else aside, that may be one of the more hurtful things Cooley did on his way out.
Then there’s the John Thompson, Jr. angle. It’s one that hard to refute but also one that felt convenient to cite and surely couldn’t be THE reason to stab your hometown school and be the first coach in Big East history to leave for another school in the league. Cooley, or should I say, Ed, talked about change and the need for change. Again, hard to refute and that one word was doing a lot of work. Change in scenery? Change in lifestyle? Change in paycheck? What was this change and why was it so necessary to, in the span of a few weeks, utterly destroy a beloved reputation built over 12 years as the head coach at hometown Providence? None of this made any sense. It still doesn’t. Even with the rumors that are out there about off the court stuff that I’m sure many reading this have heard a version or two of by now I still struggle with why Georgetown?
Cooley has had his share of health issues and if he really needed a change for his mental health or his physical health or maybe to travel less and be around family more he could have called Fox Sports or CBS and had a job on TV in a heartbeat. Now, the salary wouldn’t have been that high. But at least his fanbase wouldn’t despite him. The money obviously wouldn’t be the same in TV than to need to be overpaid to leave your hometown school, but there has to be a price for not being hated at home where you grew up and lived most of your life. My hope is that today’s game is one of catharsis for Friartown.
Get all the anger out (PLEASE DON’T THROW ANYTHING OR DO ANYTHING STUPID) and move forward.
I don’t think today will provide healing for it all and mean everything is rosie for Ed in Providence. There are people who have told me they’ll never forgive him. Time does soften this sort of hatred but it will never be the same.
To those telling Friar fans to get over it and applaud Cooley for all he did for Providence, shut up. You don’t understand. You can’t understand. Stop trying to give your holier than thou thoughts and comments. Sometimes you don’t have to hit send on that message or open your mouth to have an opinion about everything, especially when you lack knowledge and understanding. Let the people have their anger and frustration. And to those that also don’t and can’t understand why Georgetown and their athletic leadership is equally disgusting in all of this by poaching a coach from a league member sit this out. The Big East, the basketball part at least, is built different than your conference and their loose affiliations that blow in the wind.
As for that empty space where Cooley’s statue was once planned, don’t expect school administrators to get over that easily either. It’s definitely going to remain empty for awhile and maybe can serve as inspiration for Kim English and any future Friar coaches.