Former Fairfield Coach Finds New Home

By Billy McGuire Assistant Sports Editor

e Georgetown University men’s basketball program brought onboard a new head coach to right the ship next season, as they have plucked Ed Cooley away from Big East foe Providence College.

Prior to his twelve-year stint manning the Friars, Cooley was the head coach at none other than Faireld University, as he led the Stags for ve seasons, from 2006 to 2011. Cooley nished his time at Fair eld with an overall record of 92-69, to go along with a 58-32 conference record. His rst two seasons in Faireld featured some growing pains, as he went 13-19 and 14-16 in 200607 and 2007-08, respectively. He secured his rst winning season in 2008-09, with a 17-15 record. e Stags built on their previous seasons’ success by nishing in rst place in the MAAC with a 15-3 conference record, while going 25-8 overall. A er being upset by Saint

His last two seasons in Stag Country gave the program some of its most successful seasons in recent memory, as he led the Stags to a 2311 record in 2009-10, nishing second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) that season with a 13-5 record. e big strides Fair eld took that season earned them an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) that season.

Fair eld made it to the quarter nals a er a thrilling overtime win over George Mason University in the opening round, winning that contest, 101-96. He also guided Fair eld to a miraculous comeback, overcoming a 27-point hal ime de cit to shock George Mason. e Stags came up short vs Creighton University, taking the loss, 73-55 in the process.

Peter’s University in the MAAC tournament, the Stags were invited to the 2011 National Invitation Tournament. e Stags found some success in the NIT, winning a hardfought battle against Colorado State, 62-60, before coming up short in the next round to Kent State, 72-68. Cooley soon departed Fair eld to take the head coaching job at Providence on March 22, 2011.

In his twelve seasons at Providence, Cooley revitalized a oundering program and brought them back to a solid degree of respectability. A er two rebuilding years, Cooley guided the Friars to ve consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, before appearing in the 2019 NIT. Despite their success, Providence never advanced past the Round of 32, and only found itself climbing out of the Round of 64 just once. Providence returned to the Big Dance in 2021 a er nishing atop the Big East conference standings that season with a 14-3 conference record while going 27-6 overall. is was Cooley’s most successful season on the job, as the Friars advanced to the Sweet Sixteen a er defeating the likes of South Dakota State University in the round of 64 and the University of Richmond in the round of 32. e University of Kansas, led by future NBA rst-round picks Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun, came on top of the Friars, 66-61, in a hard-fought matchup. Kansas went on to win the National championship that season, but out of all of the opponents they faced leading up to their title, the Friars gave them the biggest scare, squeaking by them by only ve points.

Cooley returned for one more season, which culminated in another NCAA tournament appearance before falling short to the University of Kentucky, then bolting for Georgetown. Cooley will look to turn around a Georgetown program that desperately needs to regain its identity a er a tumultuous decade that has seen struggles under former coaches John ompson III and Patrick Ewing.

It is also notable to see a former coach at Fair eld not only secure a position at a respectable program such as Georgetown but also accept a job at another Jesuit university. It may take some time for Georgetown to be admirable again, but Cooley knows how to build a winning program and culture, which he demonstrated at both Fair eld and Providence.