'We're going to hire a great coach,' says Providence athletics chief after Ed Cooley leaves

PROVIDENCE — Despite Ed Cooley’s sudden departure to Georgetown, the Providence College men’s basketball program will find a way to move forward.

That was the message PC athletic director Steven Napolillo tried to make clear during his press conference at the Ruane Friar Development Center on one of the worst days in Providence College basketball history.

“At the end of the day, this is a great school. I wished Ed and Nurys and their family all the best, but we’re going to hire a great coach,” Napolillo told the state’s media who gathered on Monday afternoon. “Moving forward, this program is in great shape … and at the end of the day we’re excited to bring in the next great coach that’s going to do unbelievable things here.”

Besides a new coach, one player who won't be in Providence next season is graduate transfer guard Jared Bynum, who has entered the transfer portal and will look to continue his college basketball career elsewhere. Bynum scored 10.0 points and 4.3 assists per game this season.

Napolillo has been nothing short of honest throughout the last two days of what’s been a nightmare for many Providence College fans.

On Sunday night, in an interview with WPRI’s Morey Hershgordon, Napolillo discussed his displeasure not so much in Cooley leaving but the circumstances that led to his departure. On Monday afternoon, Napolillo continued to push the narrative that the Big East shouldn’t have let Georgetown pursue Cooley the way it did and all but guaranteed Providence would never — under any circumstance — do the same thing.

“The Big East was built on dignity, respect and camaraderie,” Napolillo said. “We root for each other when we’re not playing each other. I just don’t think it’s a good look for a fellow institution.

“As I said, should I be going out right now hiring another Big East coach so there’s a trickle-down effect? We love the league way too much to start that type of carousel.”

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That loyalty may eliminate some very qualified candidates, but Providence is prepared to find a proper replacement. Napolillo said part of an A.D.’s job is to be prepared for circumstances — like your Rhode Island born-and-bred coach departing a program he was seemingly born to lead — and while there isn’t a formal “list” of candidates, the process is underway.

Two names that many Providence fans had hoped to be on that list can be crossed off. Hours after the Cooley announcement, news broke that former Providence coach Rick Pitino left Iona for the job at St. John’s.

Napolillo was asked about Billy Donovan, who played for Pitino and now coaches the Chicago Bulls. Napolillo left the door open for Donovan, but the A.D. seemed to understand the chances of a former Friar leading the Friars.

“He loves his job in the NBA,” Napolillo said. “He wants to win NBA championships.”

So who will the Friars look to?

Napolillo didn’t offer names or any specifics other than the program will look for a coach who’s already doing the job elsewhere, provided they don’t compete in the Big East.

“I just feel like this is a league that’s a bear,” Napolillo said. “You have some of the best coaches. It’s the best basketball conference in the country.

“It could be a young coach, it could be a long-experienced coach, but I’m really excited moving forward.”

Napolillo said in the coming days Providence will name an interim head coach who will help keep the program moving forward. He said he didn’t know if any of Cooley’s staff would be headed to Washington, D.C. — “that’s going to be his decision” — as part of the regime shift.

What happens to the current Friars is unknown. The transfer portal is out there and Napolillo wouldn’t speculate on what they would or could do, but said they spoke to players Monday morning to let them know what was going on.

At least one future Friar has decided to change plans. Garwey Dual, a top-100 recruit from the 2023 class, had committed to Providence in November but didn’t sign a letter of intent during the early recruiting period. After Cooley’s announcement, he posted to social media that he had de-committed from PC and reopened his recruiting process.

Providence will move on but Napolillo, for one, knows it won’t be easy.

“Anytime you have any one of Coach Cooley’s personality and what he accomplished, there’s going to be some sadness,” Napolillo said. “He is Providence — he grew up here. His story was national. He made a decision and he is his own man.

“We are really proud of what Providence College is … and I’m excited about having the next head coach come in who wants to be here and take us to new heights and build off what Coach did for 12 years.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball's Steven Napolillo says PC will hire 'great coach'