It's been a season of growing pains for Ed Cooley and Georgetown
The first time was more difficult.
It was Ed Cooley coming back to his home city, not his former employer visiting his new one. Tuesday night was less of an occasion and more of a basketball game at Capital One Arena.
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The result was similar. Providence didn’t need a late surge to put Georgetown away, but the Friars triumphed nonetheless. Devin Carter stole the show again in a 71-58 victory, one that allowed Providence to escape unscathed with respect to its potential NCAA Tournament chances.
The Hoyas haven’t held any such realistic hopes since December — really, if we’re being honest, since their shocking Big East Tournament run in 2020-21. They’ll finish ahead of only DePaul in the standings and trail the other nine teams by at least six games in the loss column. Cooley left a serial winner for a rebuilder, attempting to restore the luster to a fallen college basketball brand.
“This is the pain of growth,” Cooley said. “This is the pain of change and the pain of transition. We’ll be OK. It’s not my first rodeo.”
Georgetown counts its lone two league wins to date against the Blue Demons. They finish Saturday at St. John’s and could just as well stay in New York ahead of a game the following Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. That’s the opening evening reserved for programs that couldn’t keep pace with the likes of Connecticut, Marquette and Creighton atop the standings.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” Cooley said. “There’s no magic wand. Bottom line is you need more players — you need more help.”
Cooley, his staff and the administration built something far superior at Providence to what he now oversees. His move within the conference — a stated desire for personal and family change at the forefront — was sealed less than a year ago. The Friars remain in the hunt for one of the last at-large selections into the 68-team field after hiring Kim English, revamping the roster and attempting to compensate for the loss of star forward Bryce Hopkins to a left knee injury.
“Like anything else, time away will help,” Cooley said. “This was a lot easier than the first game. It’s part of what we do.
“I’m glad as the former coach at Providence. I'm going to take a little breath and say, ‘We did the right thing. We left them in a better place than I inherited.’ That’s what I’m really, really appreciative of — to see how well they're still doing.
“A lot of times when you leave programs, they go backward. They’re in a pretty good spot — they're in a sweet spot. I’m really, really proud of that.”
Carter closed with 24 points and 12 rebounds — Cooley said the junior guard likely has his vote for league Player of the Year. His pair of free throws and baseline dunk stopped an 8-0 run in the second half and prevented Providence from giving back more of what was a 50-37 lead. The Friars had a relatively easy time of it from there.
“We don’t have that guy yet,” Cooley said. “We don’t have that physicality yet. Keep the concentration on yet.”
The announced crowd of 5,287 fans on hand was aided by the visiting section. Providence built a rabid home following during Cooley’s time at what is now known as Amica Mutual Pavilion — they’re also not shy about popping up in major conference cities or at the league tournament in Manhattan every year. Visits from Syracuse, Connecticut, Marquette and Villanova were the only times the Hoyas met or exceeded even half the capacity in their building this season.
“That’s probably the fourth school that did that,” Cooley said. “That’s OK. I’m glad they came to the game.
“This is the fourth program I’ve been part of reestablishing and building. It doesn’t happen overnight. A lot of frustration from supporters, fans, students — that's OK. That’s part of the deal.”
Georgetown has a strong three-man freshman group set to enroll next season. Point guard Kayvaun Mulready, shooting guard Caleb Williams and big man Thomas Sorber should add to a foundation that includes Jayden Epps and Drew Fielder. Cooley is left to preach patience and turn his focus to the future — what could have been his present left town on this night with its latest victory.
“The day I stepped on this campus I had that thought,” Cooley said. “That’s an everyday thought. That conversation of possibility is something I’m going to continue to preach until we get back to the mountaintop.
“And it won’t be easy.”
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ed Cooley has overseen a painful season of rebuilding at Georgetown
