In six seasons as a head coach, Ed Cooley has posted an impressive 107-86 mark (.554).
On March 22, 2011 Cooley became the 15th head coach at Providence College. He came to Providence College after spending five seasons as the head coach at Fairfield University.
"When Bob and I sat down with Mike Tranghese and we talked about what we were looking for in our next coach, we quickly agreed that the No. 1 candidate for Providence College is Ed Cooley," Providence College President Fr. Brian Shanley, O.P. said. "I wanted a coach that could teach our players about the game of life. I also wanted a relationship builder and Ed is a relationship builder. He will connect with our players, our fans and the entire state of Rhode Island. I could not be more thrilled to have Ed Cooley as our basketball coach."
In his first season at Providence, Cooley led the Friars to a 15-17 mark overall. The team posted an impressive 11-3 mark in non-conference action, which included an 8-0 record at home. Cooley guided the Friars to three true non-conference road wins. It marked the first time the squad had accomplished that feat since BIG EAST was founded in 1979-80. In league action, the Friars defeated No. 14/15 Louisville, 90-59. The 31-point win marked the Friars' largest margin of victory ever over a ranked team. The squad also posted a 72-70 win over defending national champion Connecticut.
Two of Cooley's players earned BIG EAST honors in his first season. Point guard Vincent Council was named All-BIG EAST Third Team and one of his first recruits, forward LaDontae Henton earned BIG EAST All-Rookie Team accolades. Prior to coming to Providence, Cooley guided Fairfield to a school-record 25 wins and a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title in 2010-11. He was named the 2011 MAAC Coach of the Year. He also earned United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) District I Coach of the Year honors. His 2011 squad finished the season with a 25-8 mark (15-3 MAAC) and advanced to the second round of the NIT.
In five seasons at Fairfield, Cooley's teams posted a 92-69 mark, including a 58-32 record in MAAC action. Cooley became the first Fairfield head coach to guide the team to a .500 or better mark in MAAC action in each of his first five seasons. In 2009-10, he led the Stags to a 23-11 mark and the team's first post-season berth since 2003. In that win, Fairfield set a NCAA Division I post-season record as the team overcame a 27-point, second-half deficit to defeat George Mason in overtime. For his efforts in 2010, Cooley was the first recipient of the Ben Jobe Award, presented annually to the top minority men's basketball coach in the nation. Prior to taking the Fairfield position, Cooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach for Al Skinner. He coached for one season at Rhode Island under Skinner (1996-97) and nine seasons as an assistant at Boston College (1997-06), where the Eagles posted a 175-108 mark and advanced to five NCAA Tournaments and one NIT. Cooley also helped lead the Eagles to the 2001 BIG EAST Tournament title and three BIG EAST regular season titles (2001, 2003 and 2005). In 2004-05, Boston College started the season with a school-record 20 consecutive wins. In 2005-06, the Eagles advanced to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game against Duke. At BC, Cooley was instrumental in the recruitment of Troy Bell, a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year. Bell also went on to play professional basketball after leaving Boston College, which included a stint in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies.
A 1994 graduate of Stonehill College, where he was a three-time captain for the basketball team, Cooley began his coaching career at UMass-Dartmouth. He helped lead UMass-Dartmouth to a 25-4 mark and a No. 3 national ranking (1994-95). He returned to his alma mater, Stonehill, and served as an assistant coach for one season (1995-96) before joining Skinner's staff at URI. Cooley, a native of Providence, attended Central High School and earned two Rhode Island High School Player of the Year honors. He also did a post-graduate year (1988-89) at New Hampton Prep. before attending Stonehill. He and his wife, Nurys, have one daughter, Olivia, and one son, Isaiah.
BIRTHDATE: September 10, 1969
FAMILY: Wife, Nurys; Daughter,Olivia; Son, Isaiah
HIGH SCHOOL: Central High School (R.I.) '88; New Hampton Prep. (N.H.) '89
COLLEGE: Stonehill '94, Major - History
COACHING:
2011 - Head Coach, Providence College
2006-11 Head Coach, Fairfield University
1997-06 Assistant Coach, Boston College
1996-97 Assistant Coach, Rhode Island
1995-96 Assistant Coach, Stonehill College
1994-95 Assistant Coach, UMass-Dartmouth
First Year at PC: 15-17/4-14
Overall at PC: 15-17/4-14
CAREER: 107-86
BIG EAST TOURNAMENT: 0-0
BIG EAST GAMES: 4-14
NON-LEAGUE GAMES AT PC: 11-2
NCAA TOURNAMENT: 0-0
NIT: 1-1 (2011)
2011-12 (15-17/4-14)...Team recorded an 11-3 record in non-conference action, including an 8-0 mark at home...Squad defeated No. 14/15 Louisville, 90-59, which marked the team's largest margin of victory ever over a ranked squad.
2010-11 (25-8/15-3)...Team posted a school-record 25 wins overall and a record 15 victories in conference action...Captured the MAAC regular season title...Advanced to the NIT and posted a 1-1 mark...Named MAAC Coach of the Year...Earned USBWA District 1 Coach of the Year.
2009-10 (23-11/13-5)...Team's 23 wins were second highest in program's history...Became the first Fairfield coach to post a .500 or better record in MAAC action in each of his first four seasons...Team's 13 MAAC wins tied for tops all-time at Fairfield...Led the Stags to their first post-season win in more than 30 years...Team set an NCAA Div. 1 post-season record when it overcame a 27-point second half deficit to defeat George Mason in OT...Earned the Ben Jobe Award as the top minority men's basketball coach in the nation.
2008-09 (17-15/9-9)...Led the Stags to their first winning record since 2004...Team also finished tied for fourth in league play.
2007-08 (14-16/11-7)...Led the Stags to an 11-7 mark in MAAC action and a fifth-place finish...It marked the team's second straight winning record in conference action...Team posted a seven-game winning streak, the longest in 20 years (1986-87).
Coaching Honors 2011 - Metro Atlantic Athletic Conf. Coach of the Year 2011 - U.S. Basketball Writers District 1 Coach of the Year 2010 - Ben Jobe Award, National Coach of the Year
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT ED COOLEY:
"I love him. He was so classy when he was going to leave Fairfield. He called my wife and me and wanted to explain. I told him there was no explanation needed. This is a great place for him. He did a home visit with us and he's just a good guy. That's going to be a strong suit for him. I think he'll do a terrific job. He's going to be able to recruit, which is so important, and he knows the type of player he needs to win." ---Doc Rivers Boston Celtics Head Coach
"Ed Cooley has an infectious personality, a driving spirit to work hard and win, and is one of the warmest people you'll meet. You can scour the country and find plenty of hometown success stories of coaches coming back to their alma maters or places where they grew up. But there will be few that can match the authenticity of Cooley and Providence." --- Andy Katz ESPN.com Senior College Basketball Writer
"There's a difference between working hard and being good at your job. Ed Cooley is good at his job and that's what sets him apart. He is considered to be an outstanding coach by his peers. He knows what it means to go out and evaluate student-athletes." --- Dave Telep ESPN.com Senior Basketball Recruiting Analyst
"Ed Cooley hasinvigorated an entire city with his enthusiasmand his infectious personality has paid immediate dividends. There is a palpable buzz throughout the Northeast surrounding the Providence program and it started the day Cooley had his inaugural press conference. A Providence native, the boisterous head coach is constantly juggling recruiting calls, speaking engagements, and anything else it will take to make his hometown school one of the elite programs in the Big East. It's all part of a daily grind that Cooley wouldn't trade for anything."
--Jon Rothstein,CBS Sports Network
COOLEY VS. OPPONENTS (107-86, .554)
Team W L
American (AH) 3 1
Army 2 0
Austin Peay 1 0
Boston College 1 1
Brown 1 0
Bryant 1 0
Canisius 10 1
Cen. Arkansas 1 0
Central Conn. 1 0
Chattanooga 1 0
Cincinnati 0 2
Colorado State 1 0
Connecticut 1 2
Creighton 0 1
DePaul 1 0
Drexel 2 0
Fairfield 1 0
FDU 1 0
Florida A&M 1 0
Fordham 2 1
George Mason 1 0
Georgetown 0 4
Hofstra 0 2
Holy Cross 4 2
Howard 2 0
Iona 6 4
Iowa State 0 1
Kent State 0 1
Loyola 8 4
Loyola-Chicago 0 1
Louisville 1 0
Manhattan 8 3
Marist 7 4
Marquette 0 1
Maryland 0 1
Memphis 0 1
Mississippi 0 1
Missouri 0 1
New Hampshire 1 0
Niagara 6 5
Norfolk State 1 0
Northern Iowa 0 1
Notre Dame 0 1
Penn State 0 1
Pittsburgh 0 1
Providence 0 1
Rhode Island 1 1
Rider 3 7
Rutgers 1 1
Sacred Heart 4 0
St Joes's 0 3
St Peter's 10 1
Savannah St. 1 0
Seton Hall 0 2
Siena 4 8
South Carolina 1 0
Southern 1 0
St. Francis NY 2 1
St. John's 0 1
Syracuse 0 2
USF 0 2
Vermont 1 1
Villanova 0 1
Virginia Tech 0 1
Wake Forest 0 1
West Virginia 0 1
William & Mary 1 1
Yale 0 1
Total 107 86
ED COOLEY COACHING RECORD
YEAR SCHOOL RECORD PCT CONF. REC. FINISH TOUR.
2006-07 Fairfield 13-19 .406 10-8 (.556) 5th-Tied 0-1
2007-08 Fairfield 14-16 .467 11-7 (.611) 5th-Tied 0-1
2008-09 Fairfield 17-15 .531 9-9 (.500) 4th-Tied 1-1
2009-10 Fairfield 23-11 .676 13-5 (.722) 2nd 2-1 CIT 1-1
2010-11 Fairfield 25-8 .758 15-3 (.833) 1st 1-1 NIT 1-1
2011-12 Providence 15-17 .469 4-14 (.222) 15th 0-1
Career 6 years 107-86 .554 62-46 (.524) One Title 4-6 2-2
