It’s Crunch Time In PC’s Coaching Search

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Scott Cordischi, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

Ed Cooley’s season is finally over. His Fairfield Stags lost in the second round of the NIT to Kent State 72-68 in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Sunday.

Now Cooley and officials from Providence College will sit down to discuss whether or not he is the right man to lead the Friars’ men’s basketball program into the future.

In Cooley’s postgame radio interview Sunday, the Fairfield announcers acted like Cooley had just coached his last game at the school essentially wishing him well at PC.

As we reported to you first here on March 12th, Cooley has been PC’s primary target in their search for a new coach. And while he may not be the only candidate for the job, from the beginning, he was the early leader by a large margin.

As was also written here last week, Cooley makes sense for PC for a variety of reasons. However, no NCAA Tournament appearances in his 5 years as a head coach is a concern for many fans.

If Butler’s Brad Stevens is the gold standard by which all mid-major coaches are judged, then Cooley is certainly something less than that.

However, Cooley seems to fit in many other ways. The fact that he was born and raised in Providence where he was a high school stand-out, to the fact that he has strong recruiting ties right here in the northeast all make him a nice fit for PC.

He has shown the ability to recruit quality players to compete in both the Big East and ACC and now truly seems like the right time for Providence College to hire their first black men’s basketball head coach.

At this point only two things could change what appears to be a foregone conclusion resulting in Cooley’s hire. He could come across as less than impressive in his interview which seems unlikely or some big-name coach expresses interest in the job.

Just who that big-name coach might be is anybody’s guess.

Could Rick Pitino be rethinking his decision to not come here 3 years ago? He could set up his son as the heir apparent to his throne and maybe he’s concerned that Louisville fans might grow mildly unhappy with him.

After all, Pitino’s Cards have exited the Tournament in the first round in each of the last two years. To make matters worse, cross-state rival John Calipari and Kentucky went to the regional finals last year and are on their way to the Sweet 16 again this year. That certainly doesn’t help Pitino’s cause.

Pitino is a hero to Friar fans for what he did in 1987 and a return to Providence would, no doubt, result in a huge increase in season ticket sales. But the reality is that the Louisville job is a much better one than PC’s and Pitino’s wife Joanne may not want to relocate again.

Also, Pitino would have to tell Bob Driscoll that he absolutely wants the job to cause PC to change course. Driscoll and PC were upset that Pitino's vascillation 3 years ago cost them a chance at hiring Craig Robinson.

Outside of Pitino, what other big-name coaches might be available? It seems as if Tennessee is ready to part with Bruce Pearl, but he would bring some baggage to town with his hearing in front of the NCAA slated for June.

Herb Sendek’s name has been linked to the coaching vacancies here in Providence, at Georgia Tech and Arkansas. Initial word was that Sendek wasn’t necessarily interested in the PC job but with only 1 NCAA Tournament appearance in 5 years at Arizona State, his coaching seat has to be slightly warm you would think.

St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett watched his Gaels have their bubble burst in 2 of the last 3 seasons. After this past Selection Sunday he clearly voiced his displeasure at the fact that the power conferences seem to get preferential treatment for multiple at-large bids. Might he want to coach in one of those power conferences like, say, the Big East?

The one other interesting coaching rumor floating around before the tournament started was that Michigan’s John Beilein might be unhappy in Ann Arbor and looking for a move back east. A win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this year may have lessened those alleged feelings of unhappiness.

Quinnipiac’s Tom Moore and Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins are also said to be on PC’s short list should talks with Cooley be unproductive. Moore is from the Jim Calhoun coaching tree while Hopkins mentor is Jim Boeheim, another Hall of Fame Big East coach.

Moore’s resume is similar to that of Cooley’s while Hopkins brings no head coaching experience to the table making him a slightly bigger risk.

All of these names are fun to consider and make the process very exciting for PC fans. But this process could soon be coming to an end if, as expected, the school names Ed Cooley their new head coach.