Ex-PC coach Cooley has 'zero excuses' for Georgetown's lack of success
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK — Performance on the floor has yet to match what Ed Cooley might have thought he could produce at Georgetown.
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The former men’s basketball coach at Providence is entering his fourth year with the Hoyas, and this winter will be no better than the last three if Big East preseason polls are to be believed. Georgetown was picked 10th in the ballot released Thursday morning at the Marriott Marquis.
Cooley is just 16-44 against conference foes since his shocking departure from the Friars at the close of the 2022-23 campaign. That was the last of his seven NCAA Tournament berths at Providence, a hometown job that seemed to fit him like a glove. Cooley left seeking what he described as a personal change and to reclaim the lost legacy established by former Hoyas coach John Thompson.
“The mystique is not gone,” Cooley said. “Absolutely not. Yes, we’ve had some turbulent waters. We haven’t had the success that we want — absolutely. But the mystique will never go away.
“You can’t erase history. You can’t erase dominance. You can’t erase Hall of Famers. We have not done what I wished we would do. And there are a lot of variations and reasons why — zero excuses.
“Year four, we need to make a big jump. There’s no hiding behind a lack of success. We have to do a better job.”
Thompson was a cultural phenomenon during his tenure at Georgetown, a leader who transcended the sport while reaching the Elite Eight seven times and capturing the national championship in 1983-84. Thompson was the first Black coach to rule the college game and made an impression on Cooley during his trips to face the Friars in the 1980s. Cooley frequently recalls being allowed in the gym to watch Georgetown practice on game days before battling Providence at the old Civic Center.
The player development model Cooley employed at Providence has been somewhat sidetracked by NCAA rule changes. Growing and developing a team over multiple years is largely out — microwave rosters and immediate success are in thanks to unlimited transfers and open payments to players. Cooley closed 18-16 in 2024-25 and featured two elite players in Micah Peavy and Thomas Sorber, but graduation and an early entry into the NBA Draft left the Hoyas searching for immediate replacements.
One of Cooley’s highlights last season came in his old building. Georgetown erased a 21-point deficit in the second half to sink the Friars, 81-78, on Jan. 24 and helped lay the groundwork for the end of Kim English’s tenure after three seasons. The Hoyas have captured three straight against Providence, including a season sweep in 2025-26.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ex-PC coach Cooley has 'zero excuses' for Georgetown's lack of success