PC Needs a Top-Tier Coach, Recruit Decommits, Millions in Sponsorships on the Line
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
The Providence College men’s basketball program has been transformed into an economic powerhouse over the past decade during the tenure of now-former head coach Ed Cooley.
The departure of Cooley is already having an adverse impact. PC top four-star guard Garwey Dual, who committed to Providence last June, is reopening his recruitment.
He Tweeted, “Due to the changes in the [coaching] staff at Providence I will be decommiting and reopening my recruitment..forever and thankful for the support Friars!!”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Friars this past season played before crowds never seen before, game in and game out. Attendance for Big East games was consistently around 12,400 — sold out.
Corporate sponsorships covered everything the Friars did—the result, tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the PC program.
The Friars could afford to pay their departing coach $3.8 million which was reportedly the 15th-highest salary in Division I basketball, according to USA Today
The Wall Street Journal in 2019 priced the PC program as the 56th most valuable program in Division I basketball — at $46 million.
With the departure of Cooley, the pressure is on PC administration to find a top-tier coach to fill the gap.
With former PC coach Rick Pitino going to St. John’s, the number of names that would satisfy the Friar faithful is limited.
Billy “The Kid" Donovan is a Friar fan's dream. Presently, he is the head coach of the Chicago Bulls and earns $6 million a year.
Coaching Names in the Mix
- Bobby Hurley, Arizona State Coach, overall 183-133
- Ime Udoka, former Boston Celtics coach, took the team to the NBA finals last year and was fired for an inappropriate relationship with a member of the staff
- Speedy Claxton, 46-21 record in two seasons at Hofstra
- Ryan Odom, Utah State, 26-9 this past season, overall 170-106
- Chris Mack, former Xavier and Louisville Coach, 278–133
The PC administration is faced with making the right selection and making it quickly to avoid a mass movement of players into the portal and other recruits from decommitting.
This story was first published 3/20/23 7:11 PM
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