Providence taps Cooley as hoops coach

Ed Cooley is going home.

The Providence native, who has spent the past five seasons at Fairfield University, has agreed to take the Providence job, the college announced Tuesday.

Cooley will be formally introduced at a news conference Wednesday.

“We are very excited to have Ed Cooley coming to Providence College to coach our men’s basketball team,” college president Brian Shanley said.

“I have had the opportunity to spend some time with Ed, and I believe he is the right person to lead our men’s basketball team. We conducted a thorough search, and during that process Ed Cooley was the coach that consistently met our selection criteria.”

Cooley, 41, and his wife are both from Rhode Island. He is 92-69 overall in his tenure at Fairfield, including a 25-8 record, a MAAC regular-season title and an appearance in the NIT this past season.

Previously, Cooley was an assistant to Al Skinner at Boston College.

“Ed Cooley did a great job rebuilding Fairfield into a consistently strong program,” Providence athletics director Bob Driscoll said.

“Each season his team showed improvement and the win totals increased. Throughout this process he used hard work and dedication, and that is part of what makes him a good fit for Providence College. I saw knowledge, passion and commitment that is necessary to lead our men’s basketball program.”

Cooley will replace Keno Davis, who was fired after three seasons and a 15-17 mark this year.