Some thoughts on Ed Cooley. Cooley has done great work at Providence but I’d wager he’s hit his ceiling there. The program he took over was a mess and had been largely inconsistent at best after Pete Gillen left.
He came in and energized the alumni and fan base and has done a remarkable job making them a consistent tournament team. That’s what they are and it isn’t easy to maintain that at Providence with all the other local competition they have.
That said, they’ve plateaued. His best season was 2016 when he had a lottery pick and they were 27th in KenPom. Since then, last years squad that finished 40th overall was the next best season for the Friars and Cooley.
To his credit, the team rallied last season after one of the worst non-conference seasons in recent Big East memory. That’s an admirable accomplishment.
His offenses have become pretty mediocre. Even with Kris Dunn, the offense was average.
I think Ed Cooley has done great work at Providence. I don’t know if that translates at a school with more resources/pedigree. That’s why I struggle with “rating” him. All I know is, if I were a Friar fan, I’d be nervous as hell if he left.
Good points... I agree.
I also think there's the issue of resources like practice facility, where the home games are played, overall budget, etc. I think if Cooley had MU's budget and facilities he'd reach a new level. Rembember, part of that budget pays assistant coaches who can and should bring in offensive schemes that would work in the Big East.