Providence

[HuskyBaggins]

Another turn of the knife, this guy is the worst.

Following an absolute legend in Georgetown, who like his predecessor failed miserably is an "unbelievable opportunity" ?? What a joke

 

[chickenhead]

The legendary John Thompson went to 3 Final Fours with 1 title. All with Patrick Ewing. He had three 1st ballot NBA HOFers for 10 seasons. Ewing 4, Mourning 4, Iverson 2. This is no knock on JT. Winning is hard.

Ed Cooley is not the 2nd coming of JT.

 

[gsmooth]

Georgetown at PC next season might be the first PC game I watch without UConn playing.

I am absolutely going to that game in person or try to at least.

 

[TerryBoyz]

The biggest impediment to hiring a coach in Providence is the decline in the quality of food in this city. Providence has a proud Italian tradition and the food of the ‘70s and ‘80s reflected this. When Buddy Cianci was mayor, he ensured that this tradition would continue. Unfortunately, when the mob lost control of the city, the quality of the food downtown and on Federal Hill declined materially. Coaches care about food. That is the undisclosed reason as to why Cooley left. Any coach considering this assignment will have the same concern.

“An Army marches on its stomach.”

 

[uconngb]

“National Search” must have been flying to GTown to see if Cooley would change his mind, then asking “well is there anyone else around here we can grab before we head home”

Literally laughed out loud at that…..think they left out a word “National CAPITAL Search”

 

[UCfor3]

The legendary John Thompson went to 3 Final Fours with 1 title. All with Patrick Ewing. He had three 1st ballot NBA HOFers for 10 seasons. Ewing 4, Mourning 4, Iverson 2. This is no knock on JT. Winning is hard.

Ed Cooley is not the 2nd coming of JT.

Great point. Winning is very hard. Something that is lost on a lot of our fans at times. We made it look somewhat easy for a long time. We were the exception, not the rule. It's very rare and incredibly hard to duplicate or sustain. It's what makes me appreciate this season so much. A little bit of that old feeling is back. Hope we keep it rolling the rest of this year, next year, and beyond.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

The legendary John Thompson went to 3 Final Fours with 1 title. All with Patrick Ewing. He had three 1st ballot NBA HOFers for 10 seasons. Ewing 4, Mourning 4, Iverson 2. This is no knock on JT. Winning is hard.

Ed Cooley is not the 2nd coming of JT.

*4 HOFers - forgot this guy

 

[Chief00]

I like Ed, but this last 2 months has been a disaster. He said his family needed a change in scenery, but then he said the only way he would move is for a great opportunity. Of course, by now most interested parties know some version of what actually is the truth.
Since he can’t address the truth publicly, he should keep his mouth shut regarding the reasons he made the move.

 

[karstenkibbe]

I like Ed, but this last 2 months has been a disaster. He said his family needed a change in scenery, but then he said the only way he would move is for a great opportunity. Of course, by now most interested parties know some version of what actually is the truth.
Since he can’t address the truth publicly, he should keep his mouth shut regarding the reasons he made the move.

For his own good? Yes. But I want this clown to keep talking and tweeting so that everyone sees his true colors.

 

[gsmooth]

Ackerman seems to be tone-deaf about issues that impact the integrity of the game on the court. Be it the personal grudge (against Hurley) payback calls/non calls by officials against UConn players and a coach potentially having an employee relationship with a game’s two teams. If PC played Georgetown in the conference tournament, MSG would have been an ethical minefield. But luck, such as having the NBA be able to fund her financially failing league (WNBA) for years, only can take one so far. At some point, she actually needs to make good decisions, get good results.

I don't necessarily disagree with the part after the bolded text and I do agree if PC played Georgetown that would definitely raise conflict of interest questions. But for the part about Val Ackerman being tone deaf, I am not sure that is true. From what I read on Friar Talk, again I don't know if this is true, is that Val Ackerman had her reservations about the changing of coaches inside the conference and voiced them to GTown. John Degoia (President) and Lee Reid (Athletic Director) basically told her to screw off.

Whether that last part is true or not, the fact of the matter is as Big East commissioner she is powerful but for the most part she works for and answers to the presidents and athletic directors of the 11 schools, not the other way around.

Someone correct me if I am wrong here.

 

[Deepster]

Put me in the bucket of wondering why Georgetown is still thought of as a title-caliber program?

Thompson got an elite HOF player in Ewing. They won a title in what? 1983/84? Reggie Williams and Fred Brown were on the roster. Ralph Dalton. Not much else if I recall. From there, they again caught lightning in a bottle with Iverson who only stayed 2 years with a Sweet 16 and an Elite 8 on his resume from 94/95 to 95/96.

Other than that? Mutombo and Mourning? That program has been an also-ran for almost 20 years.

 

[gsmooth]

I like Ed, but this last 2 months has been a disaster. He said his family needed a change in scenery, but then he said the only way he would move is for a great opportunity. Of course, by now most interested parties know some version of what actually is the truth.
Since he can’t address the truth publicly, he should keep his mouth shut regarding the reasons he made the move.

Yeah I don't hate Ed either and I do believe he was genuine in his interest and work for the community. However, I think he really used that to put his PR image on steroids and then exploited that in his contract negotiations with PC, ingratiating himself to PC with the hometown family guy schtick, and with him having members of the press sending out messages such as PC's ceiling won't allow him to accomplish greater things, etc.

Agree with the last 2 months, it's a terrible look.

 

[gsmooth]

Put me in the bucket of wondering why Georgetown is still thought of as a title-caliber program?

Thompson got an elite HOF player in Ewing. They won a title in what? 1983/84? Reggie Williams and Fred Brown were on the roster. Ralph Dalton. Not much else if I recall. From there, they again caught lightning in a bottle with Iverson who only stayed 2 years with a Sweet 16 and an Elite 8 on his resume from 94/95 to 95/96.

Other than that? Mutombo and Mourning? That program has been an also-ran for almost 20 years.

they got to a Final Four in 2007 and regularly made NCAAT appearances after that but didn't advance after the first weekend even when they were high seeded. So, yes, they are not the title-caliber program, at least not in recent memory. They are clinging onto the 80s and mid 90s for dear life.

 

[Chief00]

Bad bad bad look for Big East Execs and for that matter too Presidents of Big East schools for allowing this drama to play out the way it did...Poaching a coach from your own conference? in the middle of the season? or towards the end of the season?...BAD precedent..If GTOWN wanted him so badly, they should have waited til the end of the season..Not to let PC know what their intentions were is piss poor..Does not speak well for the ethics of GTOWN...But this is a cut throat business ( I guess )

Poaching a coach is one thing but if BE lets Cooley raid his old roster and take a few chosen ones to GTOWN with him, it's a whole different level...Seriously bad precedent to allow...

Where are the heads of these "fine" academic institutions???? Oh right I forget, a good Gtown program is really good for the BE...

The classic irony was that Georgetown met with Cooley the day of PC’s game in DC.
How a commissioner allows that to happen without any repercussion shows what a powerless /figurehead she has become.

 

[Chief00]

I don't necessarily disagree with the part after the bolded text and I do agree if PC played Georgetown that would definitely raise conflict of interest questions. But for the part about Val Ackerman being tone deaf, I am not sure that is true. From what I read on Friar Talk, again I don't know if this is true, is that Val Ackerman had her reservations about the changing of coaches inside the conference and voiced them to GTown. John Degoia (President) and Lee Reid (Athletic Director) basically told her to screw off.

Whether that last part is true or not, the fact of the matter is as Big East commissioner she is powerful but for the most part she works for and answers to the presidents and athletic directors of the 11 schools, not the other way around.

Someone correct me if I am wrong here.

Cooley should have resigned or been forced to resign 2 months ago. As for Ackerman, I am getting a little tired about how “powerless” she is. Dave Gavitt held the same exact office and wasn’t powerless nor was Mike T. She is either clueless or is unwilling to put her job on the line for doing the right thing. We should hold her to the same standard, no more, no less.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Put me in the bucket of wondering why Georgetown is still thought of as a title-caliber program?

I don't know if GT has that potential or not, but I know for certain that PC does not.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I don't know if GT has that potential or not, but I know for certain that PC does not.

It just seems odd in an era of such parity, where a 16 seed can beat a 1 seed by 20 and a school like St. Peters can make a regional final that you're "certain" that Providence can't win an NCAA championship.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Imagine the PC fan meltdown when half of their roster and their top incoming recruits play for Georgetown next season.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

It just seems odd in an era of such parity, where a 16 seed can beat a 1 seed by 20 and a school like St. Peters can make a regional final that you're "certain" that Providence can't win an NCAA championship.

I feel like you know what I mean, but sure. Is it conceivable that the stars could all align, they could have the perfect class of upperclassmen one day that don't leave for greener pastures, and win a championship? Sure, but I guess by that definition, literally every P6 program has the potential to be a "title-caliber program". The reality is they're a program that is overshadowed regionally and in their conference, they're a stepping-stone job for coaches, and apparently don't have the NIL to compete. So practically, do you really think it's absurd to take the position that they're not a program that's going to be competing for national titles?

 

[superjohn]

I feel like you know what I mean, but sure. Is it conceivable that the stars could all align, they could have the perfect class of upperclassmen one day that don't leave for greener pastures, and win a championship? Sure, but I guess by that definition, literally every P6 program has the potential to be a "title-caliber program". The reality is they're a program that is overshadowed regionally and in their conference, they're a stepping-stone job for coaches, and apparently don't have the NIL to compete. So practically, do you really think it's absurd to take the position that they're not a program that's going to be competing for national titles?

The people who cover this say Providence has competitive NIL, Nova was behind on this and is stepping everything up.

They were offering Cooley 4.5 million per year, they aren't just some little rinky dink regional operation.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

So practically, do you really think it's absurd to take the position that they're not a program that's going to be competing for national titles?

Yes, I do. And it's going to get progressively more absurd going forward. And the NIL thing with PC was always a smoke screen.

(I don't have the faintest idea whether this hire was a good one, though.)

 

[HuskyBaggins]

Put me in the bucket of wondering why Georgetown is still thought of as a title-caliber program?

Thompson got an elite HOF player in Ewing. They won a title in what? 1983/84? Reggie Williams and Fred Brown were on the roster. Ralph Dalton. Not much else if I recall. From there, they again caught lightning in a bottle with Iverson who only stayed 2 years with a Sweet 16 and an Elite 8 on his resume from 94/95 to 95/96.

Other than that? Mutombo and Mourning? That program has been an also-ran for almost 20 years.

From a fan at the time (before UConn relevance), the championship team had David Wingate, another 15 year NBA veteran to go with Ewing, Dalton, Reggie Williams (14 yrs in the NBA), Billy Martin, and Michael Graham

 

[Dogdeacon]

We can argue whether or not Georgetown is truly upper echelon basketball program, but that fact that it is even considered such despite the mediocre results saying otherwise paradoxically proves Georgetown's status. When I've seen Georgetown play over the past 10-ish years I'm invariably at least a little surprised to find the mediocre and relatively uninteresting team.

John Thompson & Patrick Ewing and the teams of the 80-90s were such indelible characters that they created a Georgetown brand that endures (contrast with UNLV that lost their brand). It helps that Georgetown is a very good school and that it is in DC, put together the name Georgetown continues to mean something as a prestigious brand.

 

[HuskyBaggins]

Cooley should have resigned or been forced to resign 2 months ago. As for Ackerman, I am getting a little tired about how “powerless” she is. Dave Gavitt held the same exact office and wasn’t powerless nor was Mike T. She is either clueless or is unwilling to put her job on the line for doing the right thing. We should hold her to the same standard, no more, no less.

Indeed

 

[August_West]

I feel like you know what I mean, but sure. Is it conceivable that the stars could all align, they could have the perfect class of upperclassmen one day that don't leave for greener pastures, and win a championship? Sure, but I guess by that definition, literally every P6 program has the potential to be a "title-caliber program". The reality is they're a program that is overshadowed regionally and in their conference, they're a stepping-stone job for coaches, and apparently don't have the NIL to compete. So practically, do you really think it's absurd to take the position that they're not a program that's going to be competing for national titles?

Look at our opponent tonight. What the hell has Arkansas done since 1994 until Musselman came. Answer is nothing.

Musselman came to Arkansas one year AFTER Hurley. We are celebrating our return to the sweet 16 after 2 first round disappointments. Rightfully so that we are celebrating, Dan has done a great job I wouldn't trade him for anyone right now for our program. In that exact same period Musselman has 2 Elite 8's and a sweet 16.

Arkansas' last sweet 16 appearance before 2021 was 1996!!!

For the 13 years before Musselman came, Arkansas qualified for the tournament 3 times.

They are a National title contender. Zero doubt about it.

So why can't providence with the right coach do something?