When Ed Cooley was announced as Georgetown’s new head coach, the Hoyas were finally going to have a coach with an identity.
Cooley’s teams at Providence were tough and physical. The Friars ran variations of the Flex Offense that tested the opponent’s manhood. Running through screens for 40 minutes isn’t fun, but college basketball has changed.
There’s a lot more spacing in the game. There was a time when a “big” didn’t leave the paint. In today’s game, that same big might bring the ball up, stretch to the three-point line, or orchestrate the offense from the elbow extended like Nikola Jokic.
Cooley has maintained that old-school toughness while transitioning to a more modern game. There are still some possessions where Cooley leans on the Flex, but there are also staggers, Zoom actions, and screen-and-rolls.
