It's time to review Providence

[OmahaGuy]

The Friars ended with a THUD after 4 straight losses and there are serious questions about Ed Cooley's future with the program

OUT:
*Noah Locke
*Ed Croswell
*Clifton Moore
*Jared Bynum (portal to Stanford)

STAY:
*Jayden Pierre
*Devin Carter
*Bryce Hopkins
*Corey Floyd

IN:
*Donovan Santoro
*Garwey Dual
*Josh Oduro (transfer from George Mason)
*Justyn Fernandez (transfer from George Mason)
*Davonte Gaines (transfer from George Mason)
*Richard Barron
*Will McNair (Transfer from Mississippi State)

My 0.02:
The Friars this year had a disappointing non-con after losses to Miami, St Louis and TCU (but did beat rival URI) but they would bounce back with EIGHT straight W's that began with that URI win and also included wins over Marquette and UConn at home. But after that, the only win PC would get against an NCAA Tourney team was a 2OT thriller over Creighton. The Friars would then collapse and lose 5 of the last 7 to end the year including a very ugly blowout home loss to Seton Hall. They barely snuck into the NCAA Tourney and gave Kentucky a good game before ultimately falling short. Has Ed Cooley hit his ceiling at PC and that's why he's pondering leaving?? Will he leave at all?? Gonna be a very interesting offseason in Friartown. That's for sure. What say you Friar fans?
UPDATE: Welp, there it is. Ed Cooley is heading to Georgetown. I can understand wanting to leave because you believe you've hit your ceiling at a certain place and it's time for a change. That's one thing. It's another thing to leave for another program in the league. If you're gonna leave, leave for a program that doesn't play the place you're leaving on a regular basis. I see that as a slap in the face.
UPDATE II: PC has their guy and it's Kim English from George Mason. Ehhh, I'll give him a chance obviously but it's not exactly a hire that makes me excited. He's got just 2 years of experience as a head coach and he turned around a struggling George Mason program. He's young and energetic. Let's hope he's a WINNER at Providence!

POST-DEADLINE UPDATE:
PC has had a decent offseason even though it got off to a crazy start. Kim English managed to bring some of his guys from George Mason to Providence and he's also kept two of the best players from last season's PC team around in Hopkins and Carter. Not to mention he brought back Dual after he decommitted. That's mighty impressive. Gaines and Oduro have both played 4 years of college basketball. Those 2 along with Carter and Hopkins will make a formidable crew. The only question is can Kim English prove himself in the Big East. He's only been a head coach for 2 years and no postseason appearances in either season. It's an interesting time at Providence!

[billyjack]

A week ago i thought Cooley going to Georgetown was an impossibility. Seven days later, there are rumors everywhere, and even last night in postgame Ed eouldn't give a straight answer.

[like, first question in postgame-- "will you be on the Providence bench next year?" Ed's Answer "i'm not answering that. Next question." ok, if youre staying then answer Yes. If youre going, just f-cking leave.]

So this week leading up to Kentucky was a huge pile of birdsh-t.

After watching that UK game, which was also a pile of birdsh-t, and combining it witj the other drama, i've kind had enough.

At this point, if Ed wants to stay, then stay. If he wants to leave, then just freakin leave. Shit or get off the pot. If he drags this out and leaves, then new coaching options are going to be lost, and he will have doubly f-cked us over.

The Pitino window is closing or fully closed, according to Fanta. I have no idea except Friar message board speculation on whether Billy Donovan would want to return home. It's true that Billy D looks like he will be leaving the Bulls.

Maybe Golden Warrior can dust off that list he made for Notre Dame? Lol.

Anyway, last night's suckitude was a jolt of reality... as in, we can't get out of the first round, cuz we continually can't win vs beatable opponents... every effing year. It's a pattern. Tiresome.

And, ok, next offseason... more rumors about Cooley moving onto somewhere else? Evrry effing yrar we got to go thru this sh-t?

[stever20]

From Rothstein-
Sources: Providence has offered Ed Cooley a new contract, with significant financial upgrades for both he and his coaching staff.

Cooley is receiving heavy interest from Georgetown.

He also received a new contract after last season's run to the Sweet 16.

[GoldenWarrior11]

It's just so incredibly rare for a coach to bolt for another program within a conference. Only a handful of examples I could find in football and basketball. Regardless, it appears that this process *should* be wrapped up in the next 24-48 hours.

Every AD in the back of their mind has a list of candidates in event an opening comes. So while Providence fans may feel jilted or hurt by Cooley going to Georgetown, Steve Napolillo should have a list of names ready to go.

The first calls that should have already taken place are to Pitino and Donovan. Both are long shots but both need to be asked. Pitino looks like NY or nothing at this point. Donovan might be looking to get out, but he's not taking a pay cut at this point either. He's making $6 million with the Bulls; Providence won't be able to pay that annually.

The next tier names could be Jeff Battle (if he doesn't join Cooley at Georgetown), Ryan Gomes (Overtime Elite), Tobin Anderson (Farleigh Dickinson), Ritchie McKay (Liberty), Richard Pitino (New Mexico), John Becker (Vermont) and Kim English (George Mason).

Someone like Richard would be interesting, although I'm not sure he and his Dad would want to coach against each other (I recall the Hurleys were reported as not wanting to coach against each other in conference a few years ago).

I would think someone like Battle would be early favorite, especially to keep current players from bolting.

[billyjack]

Thanks, good analysis GW.

i'm not a fan (anymore) of promoting the assistant to head coach in order to keep key players. I'm more thinking like, again, we want Coach X... you can stay if you want, or leave if you want, but we're not keeping someone to placate you.

Donovan would be a grand slam if possible.

[stever20]

Thanks, good analysis GW.

i'm not a fan (anymore) of promoting the assistant to head coach in order to keep key players. I'm more thinking like, again, we want Coach X... you can stay if you want, or leave if you want, but we're not keeping someone to placate you.

Donovan would be a grand slam if possible.

I agree with you. Just doesn't seem to work out a lot of times.

[kayako]

Thanks, good analysis GW.

i'm not a fan (anymore) of promoting the assistant to head coach in order to keep key players. I'm more thinking like, again, we want Coach X... you can stay if you want, or leave if you want, but we're not keeping someone to placate you.

Donovan would be a grand slam if possible.

I agree with you. Hire the most qualified, not for continuity. Xavier did this with Steele, McKie at Temple, Neptune at Villanova, I think it's shortsighted when you have optons. Providence certainly has options.

[adoraz]

Lol so Georgetown has pushed another Big East team to pay even more to Cooley (which happens basically every year now).

No offense to Cooley, he's an excellent coach, but he has THREE Tournament wins since he started coaching in 2006. Georgetown is going after him like he's Bill Self. If he were Bill Self, then yeah I could maybe understand going this hard after another Big East team, but he's not.

[xusandy]

Wow! So much unlove in the foregoing posts for Cooley! Hey Friars fans, he got to the tournament (AGAIN!) with a roster of transfers and mostly supporting players who returned, a team not expected to do much this year. Ed Cooley is a GREAT coach! As an X fan, I have no dog in this fight, but I'd like to see him stay at PU.

But there's a financial mountain there -- PU being the smallest school in the BEAST and therefore (presumably) somewhat strapped for the cash needed to compete in the new NIL landscape of professional college sports -- so Ed might well move on to a university with deeper pockets. Doncha all hate what what's happening here? Has a Miami recruit really been signed to an NIL deal offering $5M plus for a four year commitment? Will the SEC and Big 10 soon have almost all of the top 20 football AND basketball teams??

[adoraz]

Wow! So much unlove in the foregoing posts for Cooley! Hey Friars fans, he got to the tournament (AGAIN!) with a roster of transfers and mostly supporting players who returned, a team not expected to do much this year. Ed Cooley is a GREAT coach! As an X fan, I have no dog in this fight, but I'd like to see him stay at PU.

But there's a financial mountain there -- PU being the smallest school in the BEAST and therefore (presumably) somewhat strapped for the cash needed to compete in the new NIL landscape of professional college sports -- so Ed might well move on to a university with deeper pockets. Doncha all hate what what's happening here? Has a Miami recruit really been signed to an NIL deal offering $5M plus for a four year commitment? Will the SEC and Big 10 soon have almost all of the top 20 football AND basketball teams??

The point isn't to discredit Cooley, it's just that taking a coach from your own conference is something so off-limits that it'd only be understandable if it were a really special coach (such as Jay Wright). Could Cooley become a championship winning (or at least Elite 8 level) coach at Georgetown? I guess it's possible (same with other candidates), but his current resume isn't elite by any means. People just give him an exaggerated amount of credit because PC has a small enrollment, but they're still a Big East team. Another issue is with UConn campaigning for a football invite it's not a good thing to destabilize our consistent New England team.

Also, PC I believe had the #1 transfer class this year. That's impressive in itself, but it's not like Cooley was coaching a bunch of 3 stars. He got some good players to the Tournament as one of the last teams in and lost.

If Pitino goes to St. John's, then I'd personally rank Cooley as exactly an average Big East coach (behind Smart, Pitino, McDermott, Miller, and Hurley).