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The Georgetown Hoyas made noise in the world of college basketball on Monday morning. The school announced that it has hired Ed Cooley to be its next head coach.
Cooley's hire is a huge accomplishment for a Georgetown program that has struggled to get back on the right path. The Big East has struggled with its lack of elite teams over the years. One of the most historic and legendary programs in college sports has taken a back seat to other conferences over the years.
The hope is that Cooley coming to Georgetown will be the first leap in the right direction for the program to get back on track. Cooley has had a fantastic reputation and was someone who constantly got the Providence Friars to overachieve.
The loss of Cooley for Providence fans will be a tough pill to swallow. ESPN college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman said that Cooley will get an earful from Providence fans when he returns to face the Friars:
“When Cooley goes back to Providence, he is going to get booed relentlessly from the students. It’s gonna be up there with (Chris) Beard. I really think that.”
Georgetown Hoyas hire Ed Cooley
Getting Georgetown back on the right path is going to be a process. That's just why the Hoyas went out and hired Ed Cooley to help get the job done.
Cooley has been one of the top coaches in college basketball during his tenure at Providence. He was with the Friars since 2011 and consistently got the team to play beyond its projections. Providence reached the NCAA Tournament in seven of the past nine seasons.
Georgetown, on the other hand, has reached the NCAA Tournament in just one of the past seven years (needing a miraculous run through the Big East tournament in 2021 to do so). The Hoyas haven't had a winning season in the Big East since 2014-15. Clearly, it's time for a change, and the hope is that Cooley's experience and demeanor can get the Hoyas back in contention in the Big East.
In 12 seasons with Providence, Ed Cooley won the Big East Conference tournament in 2014. Cooley leaves the Providence program after posting a 242-153 record over those 12 seasons.
On March 9, Georgetown let go former head coach Patrick Ewing. He had coached the Hoyas since 2017. During his time, Ewing struggled to get the program back on track, finishing 75-109.
