Providence College men's basketball coach Ed Cooley is Naismith Coach of the Year
Bill Koch
A season of milestones for Providence men’s basketball coach Ed Cooley saved the best for last on Sunday.
The Friars leader was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year award in ceremonies held at the Final Four in New Orleans.
Cooley is the first coach from Providence and the fifth from the Big East to earn the award since its 1986-87 inception. His mantle has grown rather crowded over the last couple months — Cooley was also named his conference's coach of the year and claimed national honors from both the Sporting News and The Field of 68.
“I’m just a believer and a dreamer,” Cooley said to a brunch crowd at the city’s National WWII Museum. “All of us have dreams.
“I always say my worst day is somebody’s greatest dream, because I can coach. No matter if we won or lost — as a player and as a coach — our greatest day and our worst day is somebody’s ultimate dream.”
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The Friars closed 27-6 overall and reached their first Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament since 1997. Providence had never captured a league regular season title until finishing 14-3 this campaign, outlasting Villanova to the finish line. The Friars spent the final three months in the national polls and cracked the top 10 for the first time since 2015-16.
“This is not an individual award,” Cooley said. “I think this is the biggest team award a coach could have. And this year’s team at Providence College was clearly connected, undervalued — and overperformed.
“I can’t tell you the joy I had every single day – when you have a team where there are no issues, where there are no egos, where the common goal was to just try to win. These young men did that.”
Cooley is the first Providence coach to capture any sort of national award in 35 years. Rick Pitino was honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for his performance during the 1986-87 season. The Friars reached their second Final Four in program history, closing 25-9 overall and falling to eventual national runner-up Syracuse.
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Cooley topped the voting ahead of fellow finalists Tommy Lloyd (Arizona), Mark Adams (Texas Tech) and Greg Gard (Wisconsin). Lloyd took home the Associated Press version this weekend, finishing off his strong debut with the Wildcats. Providence posted nonconference victories over the Red Raiders and Badgers on their way to earning a program-best No. 4 seed in the March Madness field.
The Friars suffered a 66-61 defeat against Kansas in Midwest Region action, ending their season in Chicago at the United Center. The Jayhawks will play for a national championship Monday night against North Carolina. Half of Providence’s defeats came against teams who reached the season’s last weekend – two of its three conference losses were to the Wildcats by a combined seven points.
Cooley reached a host of career landmarks while rebounding from what was a difficult 13-13 finish in 2020-21. He recorded his 300th career win, 200th win with the Friars and 100th win in conference play this season. Cooley also broke through in the NCAA Tournament, shoving to the side a 1-5 mark in his previous five editions with triumphs over South Dakota State and Richmond in Buffalo.
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“Did we want to be here playing for a national championship? Absolutely,” Cooley said. “That’s why we do what we do. And I can tell you, one day – somehow, some way – we're going to continue to climb that mountain.”
Cooley made note during his acceptance speech of the institutional support he’s received in his 11 seasons with Providence. School president Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard and athletic director Bob Driscoll were on hand at the ceremonies. Driscoll and former school president Rev. Brian J. Shanley made program history ahead of the 2011-12 campaign – Cooley, a city native, was a groundbreaking hire as the first Black coach of the Friars.
“I pinched myself when I walked in here,” Cooley said. “I pinched myself as I’m sitting there behind (CBS broadcaster) Jim Nantz. I’m seeing (former Duke great) Grant Hill.
“I’m like, ‘What am I doing here?’”
Pittsburgh’s Ben Howland (2002) and Jamie Dixon (2009), Villanova’s Jay Wright (2006, 2016) and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim (2010) took home previous editions of the award on behalf of the league. Indiana coach Bob Knight was the initial winner while retiring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky coach John Calipari have each captured three Naismith trophies.