NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - SOUTH DAKOTA ST. VS PROVIDENCE

March 16, 2022

Ed Cooley

KeyBank Center

Providence Friars

Media Conference

ED COOLEY: I hope everybody is doing well. Very, very excited to have Providence College here, and obviously a member of the Big East Conference. I love the location. Being somewhat close for our fans to get to the game, I'm pretty sure we'll have a lot of Friar fans in the building. Just the excitement of March and having a tournament that has people in it, the energy that it will bring to the city, the energy that it will bring to the tournament, just couldn't tell you how appreciative and fortunate we are to be here, so hopefully we can play well in advance and move on from there.

Q. Two MAAC coaches, two former MAAC coaches in a region that's being hosted by the MAAC, what has that time spent in that league meant for you, and what is it like being up in Buffalo for a series of games?

ED COOLEY: Obviously the MAAC conference is a great conference. Had an opportunity to compete against Fran McCaffery and Kevin Willard when we were there at Fairfield.

I think it's a great league. It's a league that has prepared a lot of coaches, many of which have coached in the Big East. It allows you to grow and develop without the, quote, unquote, heavy pressure of major, major crowds, probably with the exception of Siena, who has a pretty great fan base. Then coming up here playing two games against Niagara and Canisius. You always say if you can sweep this in the MAAC, you are probably -- you're going to be off to a good start. Great league. Really, really good league. Fond memories of it.

I just didn't have the fortune of getting to the tournament from there to be on this stage here. This is one of the greatest stages in all of sports, in the history of sports is March Madness.

Q. South Dakota State is shooting 45% from three which would suggest they have some pretty good shooters, but I guess what I'm wondering is how do they get good looks? What is it about their offense that gives them so many good looks at three?

ED COOLEY: I think Coach has done an incredible job with keeping them simple. They know who they are. Very, very simple. I don't think they take bad shots. I think they know their personnel. You can see they have a lot of offensive synergy and continuity. I think what makes them good is how simple they are. Very, very hard to guard. I think they have a pro prospect who he can play anywhere in America. He is really, really hard to guard. Tough match-up. It's going to be a tough game for Providence College.

Q. Congratulations on your success, Coach Cooley. Can you talk about the turnaround that your team has taken from 2020 being a 13-13 team to a team that's now 25-5 in the NCAA tournament?

ED COOLEY: Last year was a tough year. It really was. I thought we were able to compete with everybody in our conference. We beat everyone in the conference I think with the exception of Georgetown on the road. We had -- I think we lost in overtime, I believe, or by one. We missed a free-throw. It just was an odd year for all of us not playing in front of your home crowd, playing in an on-campus arena. It just wasn't our year. Yet, at the same time, we had to make some adjustments and changes, and it all had to start with our approach and mentality.

We added a couple of players that continue to foster our identity, and these guys I have been coaching in college now for 28 years, and I can say this is the most connected group I've ever coached. It's the funnest group I've ever coached. It's one of the toughest groups I've ever coached. Is it the most talented? Hmm, I don't know. I tell you what, they're very, very good young men, and I can tell you what, we are hungry in this tournament because the narrative is who are they, why are they ranked so high, can they win this game?

I don't think there's a person in America that has given us a chance in this game we're about to play, not one person. Some of you are in this audience, and I can tell you thank you. I'm going to thank you right now because our players have earned the right to be in this building, have earned the right at the seed that they have, and I can't tell you how excited we are to play this game tomorrow.

Q. Coach, I know this is your sixth time with this program here, but I'm sure this time around is especially gratifying since the majority of your team has never been to the NCAA tournament.

ED COOLEY: It is gratifying. It's gratifying any time you can get to this stage, whether it's your first time. Coach K, his one millionth time. Every time is an opportunity, and it is special. When you hear March Madness, it just gives you a different vibe, a different energy, a different attitude. And to be in my sixth one, we definitely would have got here.

Our seventh year in 2020 prior to the pandemic shutting down college basketball and to represent the Big East Conference, man, there's no greater feeling as a leader to be sitting here talking to you. This is big-time. This is what it's all about.

Q. Just how much did the Big East, you are a few days removed from that gauntlet of a stretch, prepare you for this moment, do you think?

ED COOLEY: I think in all leagues, all of us think we play the best conference in the country, and you all have your biassed opinion, but the different styles of play, when I look at the opponent we're about to play, they have some similarity of Villanova. They have some similarity of Creighton, so there is some continuity to which we can coach and say, okay, play this one like that, do they do this like this.

I think just different styles of play in league play and then the stage playing at Madison Square Garden sets you up for this stage here. That arena there is as good as any in the world, so I think just the practice of it sets us up for what we're about to go through tomorrow playing against an incredible, incredible opponent.

Q. Second question, is it fitting that the Friars are playing on St. Patrick's Day given the luck narrative that some media members have painted you with?

ED COOLEY: The luck narrative, that's called divine Providence. Why not? Hell, I may be the leprechaun tomorrow. It's a divine Providence thing there. I know the city will be really excited. Our school is really excited, and for me to represent the state of Rhode Island, the City of Providence as the Providence College coach, being a person from Rhode Island, I mean, talk about dreams coming true. I'm sitting here as the American dream.

Q. Obviously, Arkansas is playing Vermont. You played Vermont. I was wondering, what do you think of them as a team, and how they might give Arkansas a tough time? What did you like about them?

ED COOLEY: Playing against Vermont, very hard to guard. Coach Becker has done a great job building that organization and building that culture that they play. Systematically they can shoot the ball. They can play it at all three levels.

If I recall, I remember their center was a hard guard -- a hard guard for us, so they've earned the right to be here. They've won a million games like the team we're about to play as well, so that's going to be a tough -- they're going to be a tough game for Arkansas, but Arkansas is a great program as well.

Q. Kind of a similar question to earlier. How good a conference was the Big East this year? Do you think it gets the right, the proper national recognition, and how well do you think the team -- respective teams can do in the NCAA tournament?

ED COOLEY: Again, I was born and raised on the Big East, so I'm very biassed. I think top to bottom, we're as competitive as any. You know, when you look at all the power schools or power five, which, you know, you guys put on the narrative of power five, I don't know what that means. It means they have football. It's very competitive. The coaching is excellent. I think the coaching is elite. The players are tough. You know, the environments that you play in, the arenas that you play in.

Obviously, having Connecticut back in the fold gives us another identity as their physicality and going in to gamble. That's a tough place to play. I think it sets it up well. Are we the best? Who is? You know, all you guys, writers, are you the best writer in the world? You may think you are. We may think we are, but at the end of the day, it is somebody else's opinion to judge.

Q. Had a lot of firsts this year for you and your program. You're the first PC coach to lead the program to six NCAA tournaments. What does that mean to you to have the consistency to get your team on the national stage more often than not?

ED COOLEY: I've said this before, first to great. I'm trying to live in the moment. I just always come back to a very humble upbringing and just the opportunity that Providence College has given to me to run their program. This is my 11th season. We've been fortunate to be in postseason more than half the time we've been here. I think it's a credit to Bob Driscoll, a credit to Father Sicard, a credit to our staff, which I have said many times over is undervalued. I think Providence College is overlooked because -- for whatever reason, I don't know. Everybody forgets. The Big East was started in that place. The Big East was started in Providence, and I know Coach Gavitt is so excited. We have six times teams, over 50% of our conference is represented in this tournament. Hopefully we can move forward, but just being a Providence kid, man, I'm up here and looking at you guys. I am laughing so hard, it's unbelievable. Trust me when I tell you that, I'm very, very fortunate.