PROVIDENCE — Ed Cooley has agreed to a multi-year contract extension, one that will keep him at the helm of Providence College’s men’s basketball program for the foreseeable future.
The town native and the friars made a formal announcement Tuesday. Talks have been ongoing for most of the last six months and have finally come to a conclusion.
Details of the deal were not disclosed, but Providence athletic director Steve Napolillo was. confirmed that Cooley would receive an additional tenure, a salary increase and a larger compensation pool for his staff. The Friars will also continue to push improvements to their own facilities, their downtown home in the newly christened Amica Insurance Pavilion and what their program can offer players in terms of NCAA-sanctioned name, image and likeness opportunities.
“Not many coaches get to live the dream of coaching in their hometown, and I feel blessed every day to have this opportunity,” Cooley said in a statement. “I have been fortunate to work for great administrators and coach some of the best players in the country.”
Coach Ed Cooley’s accomplishments at Providence College
Providence is coming off an exceptional 2021-22 season. Tea Friars captured its first regular-season Big East championship in program history and made it to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in 25 years. Cooley was named Big East Coach of the Year and Naismith National Coach of the Year. The first man from Providence to claim either honor.
“It’s a great relationship, and all great relationships have to be reciprocal,” Napolillo said. “We’re very excited that this is where he wants to be, and we want him here.”
What Moves Coach Cooley’s Offseason means for the future of Providence College basketball
For Providence native Ed Cooley,an unlikely journey to 300 career wins
Cooley will enter his 12th season with the Friars in November. His six appearances on March Madness are the most in the show’s history, and only one COVID-19 cancellation denied Providence a seventh at the close of the 2019-20 season. Cooley assembled a roster that went 27-6 last year, and his final loss came to eventual national champion Kansas.
“We are very pleased and grateful for his continued commitment to PC, and this contract extension is, in turn, our commitment to him that we will continue to support him and the men’s basketball program to the highest degree.” Providence President Rev. Kenneth R Sicard said in a statement.
Cooley’s latest extension came in the wake of a May 2019 search of Michigan, which ultimately zeroed in on alumnus Juwan Howard. The Friars were able to retain Cooley thanks to the quick work of former athletic director Bob Driscoll and Napolillo, who was promoted to replace the retired Driscoll in July. It was safe to assume Cooley was signed well into the 2020s: Driscoll described the deal at the time as a lifetime contract.
Bill Koch:An unforgettable season for Providence coach Ed Cooley and the Friars
“Ed could go anywhere in the country,” Driscoll said at his retirement news conference in January. “He is the highest-profile black man as a coach in the country. He could leave tomorrow. But he stays because he loves Friartown.
Cooley’s career statistics
Cooley has posted an overall mark of 221-141 since being signed out of Fairfield, a streak that includes his 300th career win and the Big East’s 100th win. His teams are 55-27 in single-digit games the past five years, including a 16-3 mark in 2021-22. Providence set a new best program with 14 conference wins, and a February home thrashing of Creighton clinched the title.
“This commitment is about not being complacent,” Napolillo said. “This is a commitment that says, ‘Listen, you saw what we did last year, let’s take it to the next level now.'”
Jay Wright’s surprise retirement from Villanova in the spring left Cooley as the conference’s longest-tenured coach. Greg McDermott was signed by the Bluejays for the 2010-11 season, but they did not join the league until its formal restructuring in 2013-14. Six programs in the conference have changed coaches since the close of the 2020-21 season.
“When you look at Ed Cooley, you see him as a coach and an ambassador on a national scale,” Napolillo said. “He really is the perfect person for Providence College.
RIIL Hall of Fame:Beisel and Cooley among 12 to be inducted
“All of those factors are taken into account: what it means for the Grand Orient, what it means for us, what it means for the city of Providence. I feel very confident with this contract that he is well compensated, feels highly valued and is mutual.”
![Providence College Friars coach Ed Cooley questions an umpire about a call in the first half. Providence College Friars hosts the Butler Bulldogs in men's basketball at the Dunkin Donut Center on January 23, 2022. [The Providence Journal / Kris Craig] SEND ORG: 00042492A](https://i0.wp.com/www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/03/22/NPRJ/dec24a68-c5e5-4481-92bd-5816fc1f3da5-11_Friars_01232022.JPG?w=800&ssl=1)
Cooley was a groundbreaking hire for Driscoll, the first black men’s basketball head coach with the Friars. he he he has been a consistent advocate for men and women of color throughout the college sports landscape and while serving as a liaison with the Providence campus Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department. Cooley and men’s ice hockey coach Nate Leaman have signed long-term extensions for the past six months, shaping the immediate future for the Friars in their two major sports.
“Your coaches and student-athletes are your two most precious building blocks; you have to make sure you take care of them,” Napolillo said. “You’re keeping your A players. My whole goal as a leader is to develop, retain and reward our best people.”
A Twitter: @BillKoch25
