Ed Cooley

Born on September 10, 1969, in Providence, Rhode Island, Ed Cooley’s early life was centered in the low-income South Providence neighborhood. He attended Central High School, where he excelled in basketball, earning Rhode Island Player of the Year honors twice. Following a post-graduate year at New Hampton School, Cooley played basketball at Stonehill College, serving as a three-time captain and being inducted into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in history from Stonehill in 1994, laying the foundation for his coaching career.

Cooley began his coaching journey as an assistant at UMass-Dartmouth in 1994, contributing to a 25-4 record and a No. 3 national ranking. He then served as an assistant at his alma mater, Stonehill, before joining Al Skinner’s staff at the University of Rhode Island (1996-1997) and later at Boston College (1997-2006). During his nine seasons at Boston College, the Eagles achieved a 175-108 record, secured five NCAA Tournament berths, and won the 2001 Big East Tournament title, along with three Big East regular season titles in 2001, 2003, and 2005.

His first head coaching role came in 2006 at Fairfield University, where he spent five seasons, accumulating a 92-69 record. He led Fairfield to a MAAC regular season title in 2011 and was named the 2011 MAAC Coach of the Year. From 2011 to 2023, Cooley dramatically revitalized the Providence College program, achieving a 242-153 record, including seven NCAA Tournament appearances, a Sweet 16 in 2022, and a Big East regular season title (2022). He earned significant accolades during this period, including the 2022 Naismith Coach of the Year Award and Big East Coach of the Year. In 2023, Cooley transitioned to Georgetown University as head coach, embarking on a new chapter to rebuild the program.