Ed Cooley's return to Providence wasn't met with cheers, but it wasn't necessarily expected given his exit and the scene on campus Saturday morning.
He is a coach from Providence, Rhode Island, who has rebuilt the Friars into a ranked program that will advance to the Sweet 16 in 2021-22.
He then became a coach and left the program to take a job at Georgetown, one of its Big East rivals.
This turned Saturday's Providence-Georgetown game at Amica Mutual Pavilion into a hostile atmosphere, with rowdy students pushing each other to the ground as they entered the facility, and Cooley as the game began. was greeted with chants of “fk Ed Cooley.”
Providence will reportedly have 18 police officers outside the arena, 11 officers inside, additional cameras and 54 security guards from a private company for the game. It is said that he did. This is more than double the number of people the university uses for regular games. According to CBS Sports.
Warning: Adult language
Cooley said while shaking hands. entered the arenaand in a pregame interview with Fox, the 54-year-old said he discussed the environment with Georgetown's team while supporting new Providence head coach Kim English and the team he inherited.
“These are emotional times, but at the end of the day, I still think change is good for everyone, and not many people have the courage to change. That's my calling. '' Cooley said in a pregame interview. .
When he left Fairfield for Providence after the 2010-11 season, the Friars were a 15-win team.
By Cooley's third season, they had won 23 games, reached the NCAA Tournament, and began a run of five consecutive appearances in the postseason tournament.
And in 2021-22, Providence made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997.
So Cooley's decision to leave came as a surprise after the Hoyas fired Patrick Ewing.
And that's why his return to campus played out before the game.
