Ed Cooley’s tumultuous first season with Georgetown came to an end in the first round of the Big East Tournament. The decorated coach will now look to rebuild the program after the team’s 9-23 season.
Before accepting the position at Georgetown this season, Cooley was at the helm for Providence for 12 seasons, accumulating a 242-153 record. During his time there, Cooley won Big East and Naismith Coach of the Year honors and led the Friars to seven NCAA tournament appearances.
His short time with Georgetown is not comparable to any of his seasons with the Friars. Cooley never went under .500 overall and only dipped below the threshold in conference play twice while at Providence.
“This is the first time I'm going through this as a head coach,” Cooley said. “I had a similar situation as an assistant coach in this building at Boston College in 1997.”
After starting the season 7-4 before conference play began, the Hoyas slid in their conference schedule, going 2-19 in the Big East. Their only wins came against DePaul, a team that became the first in Big East history to go 0-20 against conference opponents.
This culminated in the previously mentioned first-round exit in the Big East Tournament against Providence, whom Georgetown has historically dominated with an 8-2 record in the tournament.
In the 74-56 loss, the Hoyas did show signs of potential, most of which came in the way of sophomore guard Jayden Epps. Epps is in his first year with the Hoyas after transferring from Illinois and led all scorers with 30 points in the game. This year, Epps has been the team’s go-to offensive weapon, leading the team in points with 18.1 per game while dishing 4.2 assists.
“It wasn't the season we wanted, but we can look at it as a learning experience,” said Epps. “What we went through this year, builds character. Coach told us before the game, ‘It's not going to rain forever.”
Cooley is looking to build upon this season with some new additions, which include four four-star recruits in the 2024 class. The group includes Thomas Sorber, the 43rd-ranked player in the class.
“We have a young core that's coming,” Cooley said. ” We feel we have a good nucleus. Hopefully, the carryover you have with the men that will be in the locker room can build on our culture and philosophy.”
Cooley remains confident in his program despite a first-round exit in the Big East Tournament.
“We have to continue to build. We'll get better,” Cooley said. “It's not the end of the day. The sun will come up tomorrow.”
pk360821@ohio.edu
