Ed Cooley leaving PC, heading to Georgetown
COMING UP. WE BEGIN AT FIVE WITH BREAKING NEWS. LONGTIME PROVIDENCE COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH … ED COOLEY IS LEAVING P-C AFTER ELEVEN YEARS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, I’M MIKE MONTECALVO. (SHANNON) WE SAW THIS ANNOUNCEMENT COMING AFTER COOLEY’S EAST GREENWICH HOME HIT THE MARKET THIS MORNING. MATT PADDOCK IS STANDING BY WITH REACTION FROM FANS. (MIKE) P-C’S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR HELD A NEWS CONFERENCE A SHORT TIME AGO. MOREY HERSHGORDON WAS THERE —–AND JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM PROVIDENCE. MOREY? (MOREY) AFTER A WEEK OF SPECULATIONS, THE PROVIDENCE COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH HAS DECIDED TO TAKE A NEW
JOB LEADING THE RIVAL HOYAS. COOLEY’S DECISION MARKS AN UNPRECEDENTED MOVE IN BIG EAST CONFERENCE HISTORY. THE PROVIDENCE NATIVE, WHERE THE THE FIRST HEAD COACH TO MAKE AN INTRACONFERENCE MOVE. COOLEY SAID IN A STATEMENT MONDAY HE IS GRATEFUL TO PC FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH THE ATHLETIC COMMUNITY THERE. ATHLETIC DIRECTOR STEVE NAPOLILLO, PC ATHLETIC DIRECTOR “Listen, when I took this job I knew the challenges ahead, and this will define my career for the next 3 years. If I make the If I don’t everybody will want me fired. So there’s no ins or
outs about it, that’s the challenge when you become AD. My wife and I talked about, when I got the job, when you take it, we’re a special place here at PC.
MONDAY (Ed Cooley/Former PC Friars Head Coach) Sometimes you just have to look at things, for where you’re trying to go in your future. Everybody’s looking at the present, and you do not sit in our shoes. You do not live the life we live. I appreciate, love, and admire all of the support we get, and will continue to get as fellow Rhode Islanders. But at some point, you have to look at where you’re trying to go for your own fulfillment. That doesn’t have anything to do with winning or with staying home. It has to do with,
how are we feeling and how are we moving forward? (MOREY) I’LL HAVE MORE FOR YOU COMING UP ON 12 NEWS AT SIX. FOR MORE ON FAN REACTION TO THE FOR MORE ON FAN REACTION TO THE NEWS — LET’S SEND IT OVER TO MATT PADDOCK LIVE OUTSIDE OF P-C. MATT? (MATT) THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NO DENYING THE IMPACT ED COOLEY HAS HAD ON BOTH THE CITY OF PROVIDENCE AND THIS COLLEGE. BUT STUDENTS LIVING OFF CAMPUS ARE ALREADY SHOWING THEIR FRUSTRATIONS WITH COOLEY TURNING HIS BELOVED QUOTE INTO “US, WE, TOGETHER, FAMILY, FRAUD.” (Devin Forbes/Senior PC) “Providence is all over
messages everyones talking about it” (MATT) FOR FRIAR FANATICS MONDAY’S BEEN MISERABLE LOSING THEIR HEAD MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH AND HOMETOWN HERO A MAN WHOSE LEGACY RUNS DEEP IN RHODE ISLAND SOMEONE THAT PLAYERS AND FANS HAVE COME TO LOVE (Will Flanagan/PC Senior) “He turned this program around I better way out a better way to handle it” BUT NOW FANS ACROSS THE CAPITAL CITY AS WELL AS RIGHT HERE ON CAMPUS LEFT WITH MIXED EMOTIONS “Thank you for all that you’ve done but this moment will not be forgotten” “There’s also anger and frustration that comes along with it as
well” STUDENTS TELLING 12 NEWS THAT THE IDEA OF SEEING COOLEY TWICE REPRESENTING A NEW SCHOOL A NEW PROGRAM AND A NEW COMMUNITY IS A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW. (Jared Testa/ PC Senior) “We wish him all the best of luck but now that hes going right next doorwere going to see him a few times at the AMp we’re going to go there it lives a bitter taste in your mouth” SPARKING THE BIG EAST CONFERENCES NEWEST RIVALRY (Jared Testa/ PC Senior) “This is all we’re going to remember you know and i think when he comes next year
he’ll expect applause ..I personally don’t think that’s going to be the case” “It just feels like he turned against us.. His whole thing is us, we, together, family, friars.. And hes been preaching that for 20 years and it feels like he just threw it all out the window.” (MATT) WHILE THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF DISAPPOINTMENT ON P-C’S CAMPUS RIGHT NOW. STUDENT’S DID NOTE THE IMPACT HE’S HAD. ONE STUDENT EVEN TELLING ME THAT IT WAS COOLEY AND HIS TIME AT ORIENTATION THAT HELPED HIM DECIDE TO CALL P-C HIS HOME FOR 4 YEARS. LIVE IN PROVIDENCE
MATT PADDOCK 12 NEWS
