Georgetown got their man.
For weeks, it had been reported that Providence’s head coach, Ed Cooley, was at the top of Georgetown’s wish list.
“I am excited for the opportunity to lead the men’s basketball program at Georgetown University. President DeGioia and Athletics Director Lee Reed are united in a strong vision, including in their beliefs, for Georgetown’s program, its players and the team’s success. I plan on hitting the ground running, getting to work on the court and cultivating relationships in and around the District. Accepting this opportunity with Georgetown is not a decision I took lightly, and was made in careful consideration with my wife and family,” said Cooley.
Cooley’s first order of business will be to engage a fan base that has felt disenfranchised for a generation.
Georgetown can no longer keep their doors closed like they did under John Thompson II and everyone who followed him.
The community needs to get to know the coaches. They need to get to know the players. There has to be a certain sense of openness that we haven’t seen on The Hilltop.
As silly as it sounds, Georgetown must finally move on from 1984.
No matter what you think of the recruiting process, getting kids to come to school and, more importantly, retain them, takes a level of willingness to understand that this is a two-way street.
Gone are the days of the coach acting as a general, ordering around his kids like they were troops.
Today’s landscape includes a few of really important things:
- How early does the recruit play
- NIL
- Professional basketball opportunities
Embrace it or die.
Young players want to play and play now. They won’t to have opportunities on and off the basketball court.
They don’t want to be hidden behind closed doors because they understand that it will destroy potential opportunities.
As we get more into the NIL era, kids as early as middle school are viewing themselves as a “brand” not a recruit.
In Cooley, you have a coach that has been a straight shooter. A coach who is easy to like. A coach who has made himself and his players available to show who they are.
That’s important because Georgetown fans haven’t been able to get to know players beyond the box score.
The Hoyas aren’t moving out of Capital One Arena anytime soon. They need to find a way to get fans with a ton of choices in the DMV to want to come downtown for a game.
It’s hard to do that when you’re bad and stand-offish at the same time.
This is the time for Georgetown to move on from their glory years… you know the ones that existed 39-40 years ago.
The first order of business for Cooley… give the fans a hug and welcome them.
