thedragon
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Post by thedragon on Aug 30, 2023 21:37:51 GMT -5
Mulberry (jabril 2.0) says hello. He’s the recruit that Cooley May be most excited about. Jabril is a good comparison. That’s not the type of guy to get too excited about, IMO, but to each his own. Not being excited about a tough nosed player like Trawick who was one of the few guys that Big John had said could've played on his teams seems like a really bad take, but to each their own... |
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wolveribe
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Post by wolveribe on Aug 30, 2023 21:53:12 GMT -5
Im not sure how the Mulready/Trawick comparison started. I think it was bc Mulready was described as tough/tough defense.
Mulreadys offensive game is way more polished than Trawick coming in
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Aug 30, 2023 22:06:19 GMT -5
Jabril is a good comparison. That’s not the type of guy to get too excited about, IMO, but to each his own. Not being excited about a tough nosed player like Trawick who was one of the few guys that Big John had said could've played on his teams seems like a really bad take, but to each their own... If we get a senior Jabril Trawick, who shot 55.1% from two, and 40.7% from three, then sign me up. Junior Trawick was pretty good too, but freshman and sophomore Trawick not as much--he needed time to develop. |
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Aug 30, 2023 22:09:39 GMT -5
In fact, Pitino is the most obvious comparison to Cooley/Georgetown because both schools had coaching changes, and both struggled. As far as Georgetown is concerned, I think we can all agree that while Anderson had his own problems, Ewing was definitely a worse coach. But it's not just Ewing, everything surrounding he program the last few years just seemed to turn people off. We weren't even remotely competitive, ranked 175 and 219 on KenPom the last two years, with two wins. In contrast, Anderson had 15 Big East wins over the last two seasons. To be fair, four of those 15 Big East wins over the last two seasons for Anderson were to Georgetown and he was 11-24 was against the other nine schools combined. Much was made that Anderson was a coach who had never had a losing season, and he still didn't at St. John's, but he was 16 games under .500 in-conference in four seasons and never got out of the Thursday round of the tournament. The idea that the Redmen haven't made a Friday night at the Garden in 23 years is a remarkably sad number--even BC saw the semis in the intervening years. Now, with all the roster upheaval at both programs does it really matter? Yes and no. I think from a recruiting perspective, Georgetown had fallen so hard that it became a bit radioactive when it game to getting recruits. Ewing also did us no favors with the local programs either (one could say the same about JT3 too possibly). While Cooley did recruit in the DMV in the past, obviously he wasn't pulling his players from there, nor could he sell Providnece as "staying home" for DMV guys. So, in that sense, I think Cooley and his assistants need to pivot to a different recruiting scene to some extent. In contrast, Pitino was very much plugged into the New York recruiting scene at Iona, even if he was recruiting for a lower-level program.
When I said "silly," I just meant that of course Pitino is better. He's not only a Hall of Fame coach, but he's literally one of the best coaches to ever coach the collegiate game, and easily a top 5 or better the last 20-30 years. That is why I wanted him to come to Georgetown! I thought Pitino presented the best odds of a quick tunaround, a necessary break from the Thompson tradition, and the best chance to get us to a Final Four in the next few years. While I have come to very much like Cooley and appreciate him over the last few months, if I was choosing right now, I'd likely still choose Pitino for that reason, but I do now consider it a closer call than I did in March (in part because I now know Cooley cleaned Ronny and others out). Pitino had all the boxes checked for Georgetown but one: trust. I just don't think Jack (and by extension, the board) had the trust that Pitino would play by the NCAA rule book and perhaps more importantly, the Georgetown rule book. Pitino is college basketball's version of Lou Holtz: sure, he'll win and he's made for TV, but eventually he will leave a program one step ahead of the sheriffs. Holtz coached at five major programs (NC State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Notre Dame and South Carolina) and left four of them to NCAA probation and ND just skirted it. Or, a better comparison, Larry Brown. Three winning teams (UCLA, Kansas, SMU), three NCAA investigations on the way out the door. Pitino's issues at Louisville are still remembered, and this is not a legacy that the former president of the NCAA Board of Governors wanted on his watch. At 71, Pitino's tenure at St. John's is by definition, limited. Georgetown likes playing the long game: Ed Cooley is 53. |
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Aug 30, 2023 23:01:13 GMT -5
Completely agree!!! (and maybe get someone in the winter break!) You may be right, but if it's true that BE basketball and the whole NCAA is a better thing when Georgetown is good and relevant, then I think we'll get better than a fair amount of media attention. Nothing will compete with Cooley's return to Providence, and if the buzz is that the program is back on track and building to a better 24-25 season AND if we manage to knock off a UConn, Villanova, Creighton, even Provy and Xavier -- the light will be shining on the Hilltop once again. Also the Pitino-Cooley faceoff at MSG should be big. Of course, if St. John's runs off a streak of BE wins, the light will swing heavy that way. The visit to Rutgers will be rocking since they blame Cooley for Spencer’s departure. |
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Aug 30, 2023 23:03:58 GMT -5
Ehh, I wouldn’t be that sure, but that’s beside the point. Btw, as of now, it’s 4 open scholarships. Why is it only 9 scholarship players? In the table under Recruiting we have 10 scholarship players. Has something come out about McKenna that he will not be eligible? I have not seen that. There has been no confirmation that he finished his hs requirements. Hopefully, it comes before the end of next week. |
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kghoya
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Post by kghoya on Aug 30, 2023 23:24:38 GMT -5
In fact, Pitino is the most obvious comparison to Cooley/Georgetown because both schools had coaching changes, and both struggled. As far as Georgetown is concerned, I think we can all agree that while Anderson had his own problems, Ewing was definitely a worse coach. But it's not just Ewing, everything surrounding he program the last few years just seemed to turn people off. We weren't even remotely competitive, ranked 175 and 219 on KenPom the last two years, with two wins. In contrast, Anderson had 15 Big East wins over the last two seasons. To be fair, four of those 15 Big East wins over the last two seasons for Anderson were to Georgetown and he was 11-24 was against the other nine schools combined. Much was made that Anderson was a coach who had never had a losing season, and he still didn't at St. John's, but he was 16 games under .500 in-conference in four seasons and never got out of the Thursday round of the tournament. The idea that the Redmen haven't made a Friday night at the Garden in 23 years is a remarkably sad number--even BC saw the semis in the intervening years. Now, with all the roster upheaval at both programs does it really matter? Yes and no. I think from a recruiting perspective, Georgetown had fallen so hard that it became a bit radioactive when it game to getting recruits. Ewing also did us no favors with the local programs either (one could say the same about JT3 too possibly). While Cooley did recruit in the DMV in the past, obviously he wasn't pulling his players from there, nor could he sell Providnece as "staying home" for DMV guys. So, in that sense, I think Cooley and his assistants need to pivot to a different recruiting scene to some extent. In contrast, Pitino was very much plugged into the New York recruiting scene at Iona, even if he was recruiting for a lower-level program.
When I said "silly," I just meant that of course Pitino is better. He's not only a Hall of Fame coach, but he's literally one of the best coaches to ever coach the collegiate game, and easily a top 5 or better the last 20-30 years. That is why I wanted him to come to Georgetown! I thought Pitino presented the best odds of a quick tunaround, a necessary break from the Thompson tradition, and the best chance to get us to a Final Four in the next few years. While I have come to very much like Cooley and appreciate him over the last few months, if I was choosing right now, I'd likely still choose Pitino for that reason, but I do now consider it a closer call than I did in March (in part because I now know Cooley cleaned Ronny and others out). Pitino had all the boxes checked for Georgetown but one: trust. I just don't think Jack (and by extension, the board) had the trust that Pitino would play by the NCAA rule book and perhaps more importantly, the Georgetown rule book. Pitino is college basketball's version of Lou Holtz: sure, he'll win and he's made for TV, but eventually he will leave a program one step ahead of the sheriffs. Holtz coached at five major programs (NC State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Notre Dame and South Carolina) and left four of them to NCAA probation and ND just skirted it. Or, a better comparison, Larry Brown. Three winning teams (UCLA, Kansas, SMU), three NCAA investigations on the way out the door. Pitino's issues at Louisville are still remembered, and this is not a legacy that the former president of the NCAA Board of Governors wanted on his watch. At 71, Pitino's tenure at St. John's is by definition, limited. Georgetown likes playing the long game: Ed Cooley is 53. 53 isn't that young. JT2 was 57 when he resigned mid-season. |
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prhoya
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Post by prhoya on Aug 30, 2023 23:48:56 GMT -5
To be fair, four of those 15 Big East wins over the last two seasons for Anderson were to Georgetown and he was 11-24 was against the other nine schools combined. Much was made that Anderson was a coach who had never had a losing season, and he still didn't at St. John's, but he was 16 games under .500 in-conference in four seasons and never got out of the Thursday round of the tournament. The idea that the Redmen haven't made a Friday night at the Garden in 23 years is a remarkably sad number--even BC saw the semis in the intervening years. Pitino had all the boxes checked for Georgetown but one: trust. I just don't think Jack (and by extension, the board) had the trust that Pitino would play by the NCAA rule book and perhaps more importantly, the Georgetown rule book. Pitino is college basketball's version of Lou Holtz: sure, he'll win and he's made for TV, but eventually he will leave a program one step ahead of the sheriffs. Holtz coached at five major programs (NC State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Notre Dame and South Carolina) and left four of them to NCAA probation and ND just skirted it. Or, a better comparison, Larry Brown. Three winning teams (UCLA, Kansas, SMU), three NCAA investigations on the way out the door. Pitino's issues at Louisville are still remembered, and this is not a legacy that the former president of the NCAA Board of Governors wanted on his watch. At 71, Pitino's tenure at St. John's is by definition, limited. Georgetown likes playing the long game: Ed Cooley is 53. 53 isn't that young. JT2 was 57 when he resigned mid-season. Exactly. JT3 is 57 now and he got tired of the year-round responsibilities of college basketball about 10 years ago after receiving his last Cadillac contract extension. On the other hand, last January, at 70 years old, Pitino figured out the next adjustment to recruiting and team construction to be successful at the highest level. Age is a relative number. |
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TC
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Post by TC on Aug 31, 2023 6:39:14 GMT -5
53 isn't that young. JT2 was 57 when he resigned mid-season. JT2 didn't resign because of his age. |
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Bigs"R"Us
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Post by Bigs"R"Us on Aug 31, 2023 6:41:31 GMT -5
53 isn't that young. JT2 was 57 when he resigned mid-season. Exactly. JT3 is 57 now and he got tired of the year-round responsibilities of college basketball about 10 years ago after receiving his last Cadillac contract extension. On the other hand, last January, at 70 years old, Pitino figured out the next adjustment to recruiting and team construction to be successful at the highest level. Age is a relative number. As a college coach, it’s got to be the recruiting that wears you out and beats you down. Running practices and coaches games must seem relatively easy. |
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CTHoya08
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Bring back Izzo!
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Post by CTHoya08 on Aug 31, 2023 6:45:48 GMT -5
Agreed. It must be soul-sucking to have to re-recruit your own players constantly. I think the NCAA should ditch the free-transfer rule and return to the redshirt rule, but add a black-letter exception for coaching changes. That would probably calm the waters significantly while still giving players more flexibility than the old days.
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jackofjoy
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Post by jackofjoy on Aug 31, 2023 7:14:02 GMT -5
53 isn't that young. JT2 was 57 when he resigned mid-season. Exactly. JT3 is 57 now and he got tired of the year-round responsibilities of college basketball about 10 years ago after receiving his last Cadillac contract extension. On the other hand, last January, at 70 years old, Pitino figured out the next adjustment to recruiting and team construction to be successful at the highest level. Age is a relative number. “The man say ‘Cadillac’ … he mean Lexus, tho” - Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, in one of the best scenes of The Wire |
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blueandgray
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Post by blueandgray on Aug 31, 2023 7:59:37 GMT -5
Im not sure how the Mulready/Trawick comparison started. I think it was bc Mulready was described as tough/tough defense. Mulreadys offensive game is way more polished than Trawick coming in When I said Jabril 2.0…I meant a better version of Jabril. To your point …much better offensive player, ball handler and higher bball IQ. He’s also a dog. Not quite the dog Jabril was…but tough as nails nonetheless. |
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bluegray79
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Post by bluegray79 on Aug 31, 2023 9:11:32 GMT -5
Pitino had all the boxes checked for Georgetown but one: trust. I just don't think Jack (and by extension, the board) had the trust that Pitino would play by the NCAA rule book and perhaps more importantly, the Georgetown rule book. Pitino is college basketball's version of Lou Holtz: sure, he'll win and he's made for TV, but eventually he will leave a program one step ahead of the sheriffs.
That's part of it for sure, but I would put optics higher on the list of why Jack and the Board were sour on Pitino. Pitino's past scandals just weren't going to fly with too many people. To have NCAA violations, prostitutes and gifts for players, sex with a woman not his wife who gets pregnant and gets an abortion allegedly paid for by the coach -- he's a brilliant basketball mind, one of the best, but there was no appetite on Georgetown's end to have to justify that for a man who would be here for 5-7 years max. And I wanted Pitino. But I could see the writing on the wall, and in my mind it was more about the optics and moral reconciling for the country's preeminent Catholic university.
Also, 53 ain't young, but it also ain't old. It's most likely Cooley's last stop, and I see him going maybe up to retirement age, which is 12+ years away. He's got his dream job and he has new energy to make it a success. He ain't going anywhere for a while.
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Aug 31, 2023 9:43:38 GMT -5
53 isn't that young. JT2 was 57 when he resigned mid-season. JT2 didn't resign because of his age. Yes, I don't have the time to dig through my old posts, but I remember posting here an article from that period where John Thompson indicated he wasn't necessarily closing the door on coaching again, either. When he resigned, I am not sure John Thompson's goal was to never coach again, my guess is he found the post-coaching life of being a radio guy, getting paid by Georgetown to be coach emeritus, and eventually, stick around while his son coached the team, etc. to be better than coaching. And to someone else's point, age is relative. Some people just live and breathe basketball. That is clearly Pitino. Think about it. At the time he was fired from Louisville, Pitino had been one of the highest paid coaches in college basketball for several years, and he had been one of the highest paid coaches for a long time. Pitino had plenty of money. For Pitino, getting back into the game required penance of sorts--first going to coach in Greece (which I am sure Pitino absolutely did not want to do in an ideal world), aand then coaching at Iona, which is a fine program, but also not the type of basketball Pitino ever wanted to be coaching. So why did Pitino do those things? Because he loves the game, he loves coaching, and essentially does not want to live life without it. Of course, Pitino is not the only person like this. But, he is different in that some coaches lose their edge with age, and Pitino seemingly has not. As for Cooley, I get the sense that like Pitino, he also loves college basketball, lives and breathes it. But, I think Cooley also gets a lot of fulfillment being part of a community, creating a community, etc. As I noted yesterday, hoyaboya can point out that Cooley only has one Sweet 16 all he wants, but the fact is that Cooley created an amazing community behind Providence basketball. And sure, you can credit the athletic director and others for their roles, but the fact is that before Cooley, none of that existed. Cooley left Providence a much better program than he inherited. Frankly, I think part of the reason Cooley left Providence at age 53, depspite likely being able to stay there for another 20 years if he wanted, was for the professional challenge of going to a job he perceives as providing more opportunities and a higher ceiling. For that reason, I don't think Cooley is going anywhere anytime soon. John Thompson left because of his marital difficulties (though his results on the Court were waning too), JT3 left because he was fired for performance, and Ewing left because he was fired for being one of the worst coaches in recent basketball history. Unless Cooley falters badly the next few years and cannot turn things around at Georgetown (which would defy everything Cooley has done in his career to date), I think the odds he is around for 10+ years is extremely high. That he ingratiates himself to the Georgtown community will also go a long way in helping Cooley in down times, too. It did not help JT3 or Ewing that they essentially shunned media and alumni/fans and got into their bunkers when times were tough. It just got alumni/fans even more angry. |
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kghoya
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Post by kghoya on Aug 31, 2023 10:03:33 GMT -5
JT2 didn't resign because of his age. Yes, I don't have the time to dig through my old posts, but I remember posting here an article from that period where John Thompson indicated he wasn't necessarily closing the door on coaching again, either. When he resigned, I am not sure John Thompson's goal was to never coach again, my guess is he found the post-coaching life of being a radio guy, getting paid by Georgetown to be coach emeritus, and eventually, stick around while his son coached the team, etc. to be better than coaching. And to someone else's point, age is relative. Some people just live and breathe basketball. That is clearly Pitino. Think about it. At the time he was fired from Louisville, Pitino had been one of the highest paid coaches in college basketball for several years, and he had been one of the highest paid coaches for a long time. Pitino had plenty of money. For Pitino, getting back into the game required penance of sorts--first going to coach in Greece (which I am sure Pitino absolutely did not want to do in an ideal world), aand then coaching at Iona, which is a fine program, but also not the type of basketball Pitino ever wanted to be coaching. So why did Pitino do those things? Because he loves the game, he loves coaching, and essentially does not want to live life without it. Of course, Pitino is not the only person like this. But, he is different in that some coaches lose their edge with age, and Pitino seemingly has not. As for Cooley, I get the sense that like Pitino, he also loves college basketball, lives and breathes it. But, I think Cooley also gets a lot of fulfillment being part of a community, creating a community, etc. As I noted yesterday, hoyaboya can point out that Cooley only has one Sweet 16 all he wants, but the fact is that Cooley created an amazing community behind Providence basketball. And sure, you can credit the athletic director and others for their roles, but the fact is that before Cooley, none of that existed. Cooley left Providence a much better program than he inherited. Frankly, I think part of the reason Cooley left Providence at age 53, depspite likely being able to stay there for another 20 years if he wanted, was for the professional challenge of going to a job he perceives as providing more opportunities and a higher ceiling. For that reason, I don't think Cooley is going anywhere anytime soon. John Thompson left because of his marital difficulties (though his results on the Court were waning too), JT3 left because he was fired for performance, and Ewing left because he was fired for being one of the worst coaches in recent basketball history. Unless Cooley falters badly the next few years and cannot turn things around at Georgetown (which would defy everything Cooley has done in his career to date), I think the odds he is around for 10+ years is extremely high. That he ingratiates himself to the Georgtown community will also go a long way in helping Cooley in down times, too. It did not help JT3 or Ewing that they essentially shunned media and alumni/fans and got into their bunkers when times were tough. It just got alumni/fans even more angry. If we are being honest JT2 probably retires earlier if Iverson doesn't fall into his lap. His post Olympics recruiting was that of someone that had lost their fastball. He was elite from 72-89 then just good until stepping down. |
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guru
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Post by guru on Aug 31, 2023 10:04:07 GMT -5
JT2 didn't resign because of his age. Yes, I don't have the time to dig through my old posts, but I remember posting here an article from that period where John Thompson indicated he wasn't necessarily closing the door on coaching again, either. When he resigned, I am not sure John Thompson's goal was to never coach again, my guess is he found the post-coaching life of being a radio guy, getting paid by Georgetown to be coach emeritus, and eventually, stick around while his son coached the team, etc. to be better than coaching. And to someone else's point, age is relative. Some people just live and breathe basketball. That is clearly Pitino. Think about it. At the time he was fired from Louisville, Pitino had been one of the highest paid coaches in college basketball for several years, and he had been one of the highest paid coaches for a long time. Pitino had plenty of money. For Pitino, getting back into the game required penance of sorts--first going to coach in Greece (which I am sure Pitino absolutely did not want to do in an ideal world), aand then coaching at Iona, which is a fine program, but also not the type of basketball Pitino ever wanted to be coaching. So why did Pitino do those things? Because he loves the game, he loves coaching, and essentially does not want to live life without it. Of course, Pitino is not the only person like this. But, he is different in that some coaches lose their edge with age, and Pitino seemingly has not. As for Cooley, I get the sense that like Pitino, he also loves college basketball, lives and breathes it. But, I think Cooley also gets a lot of fulfillment being part of a community, creating a community, etc. As I noted yesterday, hoyaboya can point out that Cooley only has one Sweet 16 all he wants, but the fact is that Cooley created an amazing community behind Providence basketball. And sure, you can credit the athletic director and others for their roles, but the fact is that before Cooley, none of that existed. Cooley left Providence a much better program than he inherited. Frankly, I think part of the reason Cooley left Providence at age 53, depspite likely being able to stay there for another 20 years if he wanted, was for the professional challenge of going to a job he perceives as providing more opportunities and a higher ceiling. For that reason, I don't think Cooley is going anywhere anytime soon. John Thompson left because of his marital difficulties (though his results on the Court were waning too), JT3 left because he was fired for performance, and Ewing left because he was fired for being one of the worst coaches in recent basketball history. Unless Cooley falters badly the next few years and cannot turn things around at Georgetown (which would defy everything Cooley has done in his career to date), I think the odds he is around for 10+ years is extremely high. That he ingratiates himself to the Georgtown community will also go a long way in helping Cooley in down times, too. It did not help JT3 or Ewing that they essentially shunned media and alumni/fans and got into their bunkers when times were tough. It just got alumni/fans even more angry. Assuming you weren’t around when JT2 retired. He was most definitely finished coaching. |
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drquigley
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Post by drquigley on Aug 31, 2023 11:01:14 GMT -5
Completely agree!!! (and maybe get someone in the winter break!) You may be right, but if it's true that BE basketball and the whole NCAA is a better thing when Georgetown is good and relevant, then I think we'll get better than a fair amount of media attention. Nothing will compete with Cooley's return to Providence, and if the buzz is that the program is back on track and building to a better 24-25 season AND if we manage to knock off a UConn, Villanova, Creighton, even Provy and Xavier -- the light will be shining on the Hilltop once again. Also the Pitino-Cooley faceoff at MSG should be big. Of course, if St. John's runs off a streak of BE wins, the light will swing heavy that way. I agree that while Pitino will be the media story this year a dramatic turnaround for GU basketball will be right up there. I remember how, immediately after the BET win ESPN and FS1 were all over the "Hoya Return to Glory" angle. Unfortunately the blowout loss in the NCAA tourney ended that story line. But it will really require a huge Hoya turnaround for the media to pay attention. However, if - no make that when - it happens it will be all over the media. Maybe even the Wash Post will pay attention. |
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Aug 31, 2023 12:05:04 GMT -5
One more thought on John Thompson's resignation before returning to the roster.
There is no definitive reason for why it happened (Thompson's divorce was, at best, a deflection) but I am led to consider that Thompson saw a sudden departure as the best way to maintain his ability to name his successor, much as Dean Smith did in the fall of 1997. Dean was only 66 and coming off a Final Four appearance, but John Swofford had resigned as Carolina AD over the summer and the new AD, Dick Baddour, was looking at other options when Smith retired. Thompson wasn't worried about Joe Lang changing course but a season long goodbye would have allowed Leo O'Donovan to pursue options outside la familia and JT didn't have the relationship with O'Donovan that he enjoyed with Tim Healy.
It was unnecessarily difficult for institutional Georgetown to part ties with la familia. Here's a sobering thought: if Patrick Ewing had gone 13-18, would he be back this year?
As to the roster, Cooley is smart enough to know what he has, what he needs, and the cost-benefit of adding bodies to the roster now versus later. Watch for that mid-year transfer portal.
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Post by hoyasaxa2003 on Aug 31, 2023 12:21:34 GMT -5
Yes, I don't have the time to dig through my old posts, but I remember posting here an article from that period where John Thompson indicated he wasn't necessarily closing the door on coaching again, either. When he resigned, I am not sure John Thompson's goal was to never coach again, my guess is he found the post-coaching life of being a radio guy, getting paid by Georgetown to be coach emeritus, and eventually, stick around while his son coached the team, etc. to be better than coaching. And to someone else's point, age is relative. Some people just live and breathe basketball. That is clearly Pitino. Think about it. At the time he was fired from Louisville, Pitino had been one of the highest paid coaches in college basketball for several years, and he had been one of the highest paid coaches for a long time. Pitino had plenty of money. For Pitino, getting back into the game required penance of sorts--first going to coach in Greece (which I am sure Pitino absolutely did not want to do in an ideal world), aand then coaching at Iona, which is a fine program, but also not the type of basketball Pitino ever wanted to be coaching. So why did Pitino do those things? Because he loves the game, he loves coaching, and essentially does not want to live life without it. Of course, Pitino is not the only person like this. But, he is different in that some coaches lose their edge with age, and Pitino seemingly has not. As for Cooley, I get the sense that like Pitino, he also loves college basketball, lives and breathes it. But, I think Cooley also gets a lot of fulfillment being part of a community, creating a community, etc. As I noted yesterday, hoyaboya can point out that Cooley only has one Sweet 16 all he wants, but the fact is that Cooley created an amazing community behind Providence basketball. And sure, you can credit the athletic director and others for their roles, but the fact is that before Cooley, none of that existed. Cooley left Providence a much better program than he inherited. Frankly, I think part of the reason Cooley left Providence at age 53, depspite likely being able to stay there for another 20 years if he wanted, was for the professional challenge of going to a job he perceives as providing more opportunities and a higher ceiling. For that reason, I don't think Cooley is going anywhere anytime soon. John Thompson left because of his marital difficulties (though his results on the Court were waning too), JT3 left because he was fired for performance, and Ewing left because he was fired for being one of the worst coaches in recent basketball history. Unless Cooley falters badly the next few years and cannot turn things around at Georgetown (which would defy everything Cooley has done in his career to date), I think the odds he is around for 10+ years is extremely high. That he ingratiates himself to the Georgtown community will also go a long way in helping Cooley in down times, too. It did not help JT3 or Ewing that they essentially shunned media and alumni/fans and got into their bunkers when times were tough. It just got alumni/fans even more angry. Assuming you weren’t around when JT2 retired. He was most definitely finished coaching. If you mean "done," as in "no way this guy is going to realistically coach Georgetown again," I agree. I was just referencing these comments from the time in a Tampa Bay Times article: - Thompson: "Folks, I'm not tired of basketball. I love it. I am not retiring. I have resigned as the head basketball coach at Georgetown University. Let's make that very clear." - "Thompson will stay at Georgetown, doing 'whatever Father O'Donovan wants me to do.' O'Donovan called Thompson the school's 'coach emeritus.' Thompson said he didn't rule out a return to coaching, but shot down speculation that given the curious timing _ the same week as the NBA lockout was settled _ he was leaving for a professional job." Of course, there's a big difference between ruling it out, and actually doing it. My guess is Thompson was just trying to keep his options open, but knew at the time that a return to coaching was extremely unlikely. |
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