On college basketball's biggest stage, Providence's Ed Cooley calls for more Black hirings

CHICAGO — Ed Cooley is a finalist for the award given to the top men’s coach of color in major college basketball.

And while Providence’s leader would certainly like to add a second Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year trophy to his cabinet, what he really wants is a deeper pool of competitors in the future.

Cooley’s platform has never been bigger than now, at the helm of his first Sweet 16 team, and his message remains the same. He’s pushed to improve hiring practices nationally from the time he set foot on campus as the first Black coach both with Fairfield University and the Friars.

HOW SWEET IT IS: PC dominates Richmond, reaches final 16 in NCAA tournament

Friars prepare: Providence holds Thursday practice at NCAAs in Chicago

Experienced: Providence's top basketball players were all born in the '90s. Here's why that matters

“We need to continue to fight for equality across the board in the hiring practice,” Cooley said Tuesday. “Last time I checked, we’re still human. We know what we’re doing when it comes to running organizations.

“We can be the face of the program. It’s just an opportunity. If you get the opportunity, you’ve got to do the best with it.”

Cooley and his Friars arrived in Chicago on Wednesday to prepare for Friday night's showdown with No. 1 seed Kansas.

Three fellow Jobe finalists remain in the NCAA Tournament field — Hubert Davis with North Carolina, Shaheen Holloway with Saint Peter’s and Kelvin Sampson with Houston. Juwan Howard at Michigan makes it four Black coaches playing for an Elite Eight berth, and Miami coach Jim Larrañaga identifies as Cuban-American.

How to watch PC-Kansas: Who is Providence Basketball's Sweet 16 opponent and when do they play

So yes, the sideline at this point is more diverse than what Cooley observed as a teenager growing up in Providence. John Thompson, John Chaney and Nolan Richardson are the three names he most frequently mentions as role models. Their programs at Georgetown, Temple and Arkansas, respectively, played on the national stage throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

But there is still work to be done from Cooley’s perspective, and he’s at the perfect place in his career to serve as a spokesman. His 2021-22 season to date includes a host of personal accolades — 300 career wins, 200 wins with the Friars, 100 wins in the Big East, finalist for both the Naismith and Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year awards. He became the first man from Providence to take home the conference’s top honor, adding to his national recognition from the Sporting News and The Field of 68.

“For us who are in that position now, we’ve got to be guardians of the game,” Cooley said. “We also need to continue. Last year was a historic year for minority hirings. Hopefully that’s just not a fad or lightning in the bottle.

“We need more presidents, search firms and (athletic directors) to recognize opportunity, not just the color of your skin and the good old boy network. You look at the historical Black colleges across the country and the jobs those guys are doing, I don’t think they’ve been given a fair chance to move up the ladder like some of us have.”

Major milestone: For Providence native Ed Cooley, an unlikely journey to 300 career victories

Consider the current state of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, home to a host of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. LeVelle Moton — a Boston native — won four conference tournament titles in six years at North Carolina Central from 2014-19 and remains in his job with the Eagles. Robert Jones has captured the last two league tournament titles at Norfolk State, but his 104-34 record in nine seasons of conference play with the Spartans has yet to turn heads at a bigger program.

Holloway and the Peacocks have been the tournament’s Cinderella to date, a No. 15 seed in the East Region that took out Kentucky and Murray State to reach this weekend in Philadelphia. He’s a Seton Hall alum and former assistant coach at his alma mater — and the Pirates have a job opening at the moment. Holloway is the hot favorite to succeed Kevin Willard, who signed a seven-year deal with Maryland earlier this week.

Cooley saw how difficult Saint Peter’s could be to handle earlier this season. His 200th career victory came in an 85-71 home triumph at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Nov. 27, and the Friars were never truly comfortable. They trailed by two points early in the second half before launching the deciding run, and Peacocks guard Daryl Evans hit for a game-high 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting.

David Cox is back in the game: Ex-URI basketball coach is now an assistant coach at Maryland

“The energy and joy he’s brought to that region for them, it’s what March Madness is all about,” Cooley said. “When you hear it, that moment — they're in that moment.

“He should be applauded — him and his staff and his team. When we played them I said, ‘You’re a really, really good team.’”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball Ed Cooley calls for more Black college coaches