Summer School
Providence College coach Ed Cooley will coach the Big Eastbased USA Pan-Am Games team.
PROVIDENCE – “Go Friars. Go Big East. Go USA.”
That’s how Ed Cooley closed out his remarks inside the Friar Ruane Development Center on Tuesday afternoon. It was a fitting homage to next summer’s international basketball challenge that’ll be draped in red, white, and blue and feature a roster where the names are already included in the PC head coach’s scouting rolodex.
With Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman on hand, Cooley officially came forward as the Team USA head coach who’ll lead an American roster that’s made up entirely of Big East players and will participate in the 2019 Pan American Games. This multi-sport event featuring teams from North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean is on the docket for August 6-10 in Lima, Peru.
“There’s nothing like listening to the national anthem in another country. You get goosebumps,” said Cooley, certainly no stranger to international competition. “Our hands will be full, but I’m excited about the opportunity.”
The announcement of Cooley serving as the supreme commander comes after NCAA officials and USA Basketball opted for a fresh approach by appointing one Division I conference to carry the Pan-Am Games ball and run with it. Following an extensive review that included bids from all the major conferences, the decision was ratified to go exclusively with Big East student-athletes for a tournament that’s traditionally held the year before the Summer Olympics.
“The Pac-12, the SEC, the Big 12, the ACC … they all bid on this,” said Cooley. “We’re really fortunate the Big East has this.”
Added Ackerman, “I applaud the NCAA and USA Basketball for thinking outside the box and believing this would be an interesting way to bring schools from one conference together. In many ways, this is a tribute to what the Big East has accomplished over the past five years. They were looking for a conference with a solid basketball pedigree.”
Getting Cooley to come aboard was an easy sell due to his past USA hoop commitments. Earlier this decade, he worked as an assistant coach with two USA Basketball squads that was 2-for-2 in achieving gold medals. One of those USA entries outlasted the field to cut down the nets after capturing the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.
“Everyone thought Ed would be the perfect person to not only lead the Big East delegation but to represent our country in this prestigious competition,” said Ackerman.
The makeup of the 12-player roster and who’ll be assisting Cooley on the bench in Peru will be announced at a later date. Cooley will not have final say on which players he’ll be taking overseas to face foreign teams that’ll likely feature the presence of pros, though all indications point to the roster’s makeup including players who’ll be part of Big East squads for the 2019-20 season.
“I think they’ll be a selection committee and I’m sure I’ll be part of it. They’ll probably ask each (Big East team) to send at least one player with two wild cards. I know I’m going to want people around me who I’m familiar with … coaches, trainers, security,” said Cooley, who took a deep breath upon being informed about the drought that’s been in place in conjunction with USA hoops and the Pan-Am Games. The last time the United States captured the tournament was 1983, the roster featuring budding star Michael Jordan.
For Cooley, one of the perks that comes with mentoring the USA delegation is that training camp will take place at the Friars’ $30 million on-campus practice facility that opened earlier this fall. Cooley is hopeful that PC’s Alumni Hall can serve as the site for an exhibition tune-up before a task of the highest order awaits.
“One of our sales pitches is that we’ll be able to train the USA team in one of the newest and from all reports one of the finest basketball facilities in the country,” said Ackerman. “I know this will make coach Cooley’s life easier as far as not having to travel far.”
Cooley says his USA duties will have no bearing on preparing for the Friars’ 2019-20 season.