Ed Cooley, a 1994 graduate of Stonehill College, was a three-year captain for the men’s basketball program who has gone on to a successful coaching career at the NCAA Division I level and with USA Basketball.
Cooley, a product of Central High School in Providence, was a member of the Stonehill men’s basketball program between 1989 and 1994, serving as team captain for three seasons. He finished his career with 795 points, 594 rebounds and over 100 assists in 107 career games, helping Stonehill to four Northeast-10 Tournament appearances, reaching the semifinals his senior year, when he finished seventh among NE10 leaders with 7.0 rebounds per game.
Following graduation, he has enjoyed a successful coaching career, including the 1995-96 season at Stonehill under Dave DeCiantis, before joining Al Skinner at Rhode Island in 1996. Cooley followed Skinner to Boston College from 1997-2006, before becoming the head coach at Fairfield. After five years at Fairfield, he accepted the head coach position at Providence College in 2011, where he has led the Friars to a 162-110 (.596) record over eight years, winning the 2014 BIG EAST Championship, with five NCAA Tournament and two NIT appearances. Cooley has posted an overall head coaching record of 254-179 in 12 years, with five NCAA and three NIT bids.
Cooley has also been active with USA Basketball, culminating with his selection as head coach of the 2019 Pan Am Games Team that won a bronze medal in Lima, Peru, this summer.
Ed Cooley, a 1994 graduate of Stonehill College, was a three-year captain for the men’s basketball program who has gone on to a successful coaching career at the NCAA Division I level and with USA Basketball.