Providence Names Cooley Its New Coach

Providence College named Ed Cooley basketball coach, replacing the fired Keno Davis. Cooley had served as head coach at Fairfield for five seasons, leading the Stags to a school-record 25 wins and an NIT berth this year.

A Providence native, Cooley starred at Stonehill in the early 1990s and served as an assistant at UMass-Dartmouth, Stonehill, Rhode Island and Boston College before going 92-69 in five years at Fairfield.

"Ed Cooley did a great job rebuilding Fairfield into a consistently strong program," PC athletic director Bob Driscoll said in a statement. "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, 41, was named MAAC Coach of the Year this season after leading Fairfield to the MAAC regular-season championship. The Stags were upset in the conference tournament semifinals and missed out on an NCAA berth. They lost to Kent State on Sunday, 72-68, in the second round of the NIT.

Cooley will be introduced on campus Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.