Ed Cooley

[Deepster]

In 1998, UConn played UNC in Greensboro at a "neutral site". The "neutral" site had Carolina blue pom-poms placed on the seats. I don't think the Cooley's losses reflect on his ability. I don't think that loss reflected on Calhoun's.

The next year, UConn went out and won the National Championship though.

 

[FASTEDDY]

Cooley will be a PC lifer. Has significant local ties and is doing the best that PC can hope for (Regular NCAA tournament appearances and upper portion of BE Conference).

The above translates to a 30 year career at PC and $2 million/ yr pay. He will be very happy with this.

 

[chickenhead]

Fans are fickle. Just look at the crowd looking for KO's scalp.

Cooley is starting to take a little heat for not getting any of his top targets. He will start to take additional heat if they don't advance further in the NCAAs.

Next year will be a key one with everyone back. The expectations will be pretty high.

 

[The Funster]

Cooley is a great guy and a good coach. He's probably perfect for Providence.

 

[chickenhead]

Cooley is a great guy and a good coach. He's probably perfect for Providence.

He has great assistants as well. Bob Simon, who left for Alabama, taught the stay a ton on in game adjustments. They haven't missed a beat without him. Battle for LaFleur was a good trade as well.

 

[NewEnglandCB]

I respect Ed Cooley as well. I believe he has accomplished more than Tim Welsh and Keno Davis (last two coaches) combined.

He contributed to Kris Dunn being drafted #5 overall in last year nba draft. (highest I've seen from a PC player)

PC finally won an NCAA tournament game last year.

Wish we could see how he would do if the old BE was still attached.

 

[huskiesnyc]

I haven't been very impressed with Cooley's head coaching career. Afterall he has 1 tournament win in his entire 11 years as head coach. But getting this current team to the NCAA tourney is really impressive with all 3 star recruits and a bunch of transfers that weren't really sought after.

 

[huskiesnyc]

PC also wins a ridiculous amount of close games. Cooley has been good this year but he's also been very lucky

 

[ctchamps]

This isn't the NBA where the coach might not have control over personnel. And it isn't Ollie's first or second year. This is his team. He built it. Granted he didnt build it to look like the team he ended up having...but his job is to assemble a team and coach it to its fullest potential. I'd argue one or two things are happening (including but not limited to this year. He's either not getting the pieces he needs for his style of play. Or he has the wrong style of play for the pieces he has. I recognize that these may read like one and the same but they aren't. And the need to adjust after the injuries is him being exposed for being a very limited coach in my opinion. He runs an offensive set that requires guys to be able to individually make plays. Guys who can break down their man and go by people. The guys he's been bringing in are pretty limited in that capacity (and that includes Daniel Hamilton). So if you don't have players who are capable of that, the only viable option is to adjust. Ollie has shown almost zero capability in that regard. We ran the same stuff last year as we ran this year despite having very few bullets in the gun. We don't set screens for the shooters. We don't get the ball down low. Our offense generally consisted of, "thank god Jalen can go by somebody and finish or kick for a jump shot if help defense arrives."

In business, if the company fails, the CEO gets the blame regardless of whether he/she really was the reason. In college hoops, there is no, "it's the players not the coach." Ona similar note, the staff is Ollie's staff. It's his responsibility to assemble them too. This notion that it's not Ollie's faults, it his assistants, is bs. The coach's job is to get the right assistant and players and put them in a position to win. Ollie hasn't shown a talent for that. And I find it really concerning. Next year will tell a lot.

He built it with an apr anchor around his neck.
I'd agree with you and @HuskyHawk about changing his offense if I watched games, the same games you watched, and felt that the players were not put in a position to make shots that were makable. It was incredible how often players had decent looks and just missed. The plays that KO implemented failed not because of the system but because players couldn't attain consistency in shooting. And to make matters worse when one player improved, a player who shot well in a prior game went cold. The last thirteen games show this:

UConn vs SMU .. ECU vs. UConn . UConn vs. USF ...Tulane vs. UConn
Kentan 6-9 1-1 ......Kentan 4-10 5-5... Kentan 4-12 4-6..Kentan 8-15 4-5
Jalen 1-10 1-2 ......Jalen 8-11 2-2 .. Jalen 6-14 6-6..Jalen 3-15 2-2
Rodney 0-4 2-2 ..... Rodney 6-12 3-4 . Rodney 4-7 3-5.Rodney 4-9 4-4

UConn vs. Cinci .. USF vs. UConn.... UConn vs. UCF.....Memphis vs. UConn
Kentan 1-8 0-0 ..... Kentan 3-7 1-2.. Kentan 5-9 2-2...Kentan 2-5 4-6
Jalen 3-9 2-2.. Jalen 6-9 0-0.Jalen 6-11 2-2.. Jalen 8-16 1-2
Rodney 8-14 0-0 ..... Rodney 8-13 1-1 .Rodney 5-12 3-4 ...Rodney 4-13 0-0
Brimah 6-12 4-6

UConn vs. Temple ..... UConn vs. Houston .... UConn vs. SMU .....UConn vs. East Carolina
Kentan 3-5 2-4 .....Kentan 4-10 1-3... Kentan 6-9 2-2 .... Kentan 2-7 8-14
Jalen 5-13 2-2 .. Jalen 5-14 7-8......Jalen 1-10 1-2...... Jalen 5-15 1-1
Rodney 7-14 0-0.....Rodney 3-8 3-4.... Rodney o-4 2-2......Rodney 3-15 3-3
Christian 2-12 2-2


Cinci vs. UConn
Kentan 1-9 6-6
Jalen 2-7 0-0
Rodney 4-11 6-6
Brimah 5-6 1-4

 

[NewEnglandCB]

Yeah BC and Pitt are feeling the sting and you know what they deserved it. I'm sure Villanova benefited from the realignment as well since they have become the new top-tier. It's sad that the new configuration haven't benefit DePaul at all as they are pretty much the same as they ever were. As for Georgetown something is going on down there. I think motivation is one of the issues. Coach Thompson doesn't appear to be himself this season. I hope they bounce back.

 

[chickenhead]

I haven't been very impressed with Cooley's head coaching career. Afterall he has 1 tournament win in his entire 11 years as head coach. But getting this current team to the NCAA tourney is really impressive with all 3 star recruits and a bunch of transfers that weren't really sought after.

Cooley's team probably would have finished higher than UConn in the AAC the last four years though.

 

[ctchamps]

Cooley's team probably would have finished higher than UConn in the AAC the last four years though.

And then lost to UConn in the tournament.

 

[chickenhead]

And then lost to UConn in the tournament.

Friars problem isn't the conference tournament.....

 

[mauconnfan]

Friars problem isn't the conference tournament.....

In either tournament then.

 

[mauconnfan]

What is Diallo then? That kid was a nice player in prep, would have loved him in Storrs. I know he's "only" a 5/3/1 guy now but he understands the game and his type are invaluable. He is a poor mans Chris Clarke but could very well turn out to be very similar. He was a 3 star, just an underrated one.

 

[Windsorlocks]

Providence obviously benefited being in the NBE. In their short existence, Big East teams have entered league play with good RPI's, and their round robin format takes advantage of starting league play with a majority of good RPI teams. One result is they've done well in getting a good % of their teams to the Dance. Either 60% or 70% this year. But so far they've done poorly once there, the league as a whole, with the exception of Villanova, and only last year even for them. Early exits for Nova until they ran the table in 2016.

If Cooley gets them in this year, that's actually the first time since the 70's they go 4 straight years. The advantage of Providence being able to be a somewhat bigger fish in a smaller pond. I think he's been a good coach to do that. They were picked 9th this year, and are the 3rd seed in their tourney. He's done a good job. I think he can sustain it, if the league can sustain it. He may leave for a job in the NBA some day, that may be an aspiration, not sure, but otherwise I suspect he's a lifer for Providence. An actual run in the tourney would generate interest obviously. Always does. If he keeps getting his teams to the tourney, he'll likely have a run eventually. If the league survives, and I hope it does, Providence is in a good place with Cooley as their coach. They've always just been a stepping stone after Mullaney and Gavitt coached them, Rick Barnes and Rick Pitino grew there, and Cooley seems to be the first coach that let's them forget Pitino, lol.

If the Big East can survive, Cooley has shown his teams can compete in that league, and the league has shown it can compete for bids. Providence clearly is in a far better place then they were in the old BE, and even with only one win to show for it, 4 straight bids is a big step forward for that program. He just needs to have a run. Overall, he seems a perfect fit for that program and a fine coach.

 

[chickenhead]

What is Diallo then? That kid was a nice player in prep, would have loved him in Storrs. I know he's "only" a 5/3/1 guy now but he understands the game and his type are invaluable. He is a poor mans Chris Clarke but could very well turn out to be very similar. He was a 3 star, just an underrated one.

ESPN had him as a 4 star. He's been a joy to watch this year. Always seems to be in the right place and grabs every loose ball and clutch rebound.

Alpha Diallo - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN

 

[chickenhead]

Providence obviously benefited being in the NBE. In their short existence, Big East teams have entered league play with good RPI's, and their round robin format takes advantage of starting league play with a majority of good RPI teams. One result is they've done well in getting a good % of their teams to the Dance. Either 60% or 70% this year. But so far they've done poorly once there, the league as a whole, with the exception of Villanova, and only last year even for them. Early exits for Nova until they ran the table in 2016.

If Cooley gets them in this year, that's actually the first time since the 70's they go 4 straight years. The advantage of Providence being able to be a somewhat bigger fish in a smaller pond. I think he's been a good coach to do that. They were picked 9th this year, and are the 3rd seed in their tourney. He's done a good job. I think he can sustain it, if the league can sustain it. He may leave for a job in the NBA some day, that may be an aspiration, not sure, but otherwise I suspect he's a lifer for Providence. An actual run in the tourney would generate interest obviously. Always does. If he keeps getting his teams to the tourney, he'll likely have a run eventually. If the league survives, and I hope it does, Providence is in a good place with Cooley as their coach. They've always just been a stepping stone after Mullaney and Gavitt coached them, Rick Barnes and Rick Pitino grew there, and Cooley seems to be the first coach that let's them forget Pitino, lol.

If the Big East can survive, Cooley has shown his teams can compete in that league, and the league has shown it can compete for bids. Providence clearly is in a far better place then they were in the old BE, and even with only one win to show for it, 4 straight bids is a big step forward for that program. He just needs to have a run. Overall, he seems a perfect fit for that program and a fine coach.

Actually, the 1st time for 4 straight years. Problem with the Big East, and it will repeat it this year, is that the majority of the 7 bids will be lower seeds. Sets up a game against a #1 or #2 seed in the 2nd round. This happens with the parity and a 3rd place team with 8 league lasses.