PC coach Cooley aided by able lieutenants
With Friar coach feeling under the weather, PC assistants take bigger role
PROVIDENCE – A window into Ed Cooley’s internal operational architecture was opened earlier this week. It was completely unexpected as the Providence head coach reportedly suffered from a case of vertigo that nearly caused him to miss Tuesday’s buzzer-beater win at Creighton.
Knowing that Cooley wasn’t feeling up to snuff coupled with the Friars returning home at 3 a.m. Wednesday, a decision was made to relocate the typical dayafter- game/ looking-ahead- towho’s-next briefing with his assistant coaches to his East Greenwich homestead. By hook or by crook, the task of maintaining the status quo fell to Associate Head Coach Andre LaFleur along with Brian Blaney and Jeff Battle, both assistants, while the person who typically occupies the head-coaching chair was on the mend.
As Cooley’s top three bench lieutenants indulged in some English muffins, they closed the books on the Creighton game and began looking ahead in earnest to today’s opponent, Seton Hall.
“It made no sense to get him (to PC’s campus) for 8 a.m.,” said LaFleur, who was designated as the program’s spokesperson Thursday. He filled in for Cooley during the Big East’s media teleconference call with its head coaches and addressed the local press for over seven minutes prior to the official start of practice at Alumni Hall.
Cooley might be feeling under the weather, yet it’s times like this that reinforce the importance of having a staff that puts the “skip” in not skipping a beat.
“Our preparation has to be really solid and tight. We try and keep it as normal and as business-like as possible under the circumstances. Obviously with him being under the weather, he’s not as present physically, but we’re constantly in meetings and talking to him, whether it’s conference calls or over to his house,” said LaFleur. “Obviously the head coach is such a big part of any program. The kids are so used to his voice, but I think the important thing for us as assistants is to maintain our consistent preparation and not let it be a distraction. I don’t think that was the case in the (Creighton game). We played in a hostile environment, but I thought the guys were focused and still dialed in.”
It should be noted that Cooley hasn’t completely disappeared from the Friar landscape. He did address the players at mid-court before Thursday’s practice. LaFleur, who in his assistant capacity had been tasked with organizing the scouting report for Seton Hall, squashed any doubt concerning Cooley’s availability for today’s contest at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
“We expect him to be present and still be part of the preparation going into the game,” said LaFleur. “We haven’t talked about anything else.”
Not having Cooley at optimum health isn’t new terrain for Providence. Last season, he felt ill and walked off the floor early in the second half of a game at Xavier. He spent the night in a Cincinnati hospital before flying home to Rhode Island the next day.
Perhaps what happened that Saturday at Xavier and earlier this week was the result of Cooley’s body telling him that he needs to catch his breath and scale back a few notches. After all, that’s why they invented assistant coaches. They are a reflection of the boss man’s coaching strategies, a trait that can prove quite handy when the unexpected happens.
“Just having our leader down and not feeling so great, it definitely hurts us a little bit. But our coaching staff does a great job in preparing us for an opponent,” said Junior Lomomba, PC’s junior guard. “They are all an extension of coach Cooley so we’re in good hands.”
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You know it’s Big East season when questions are being asked about struggling offenses and stout defenses. The Friars are averaging 57 ppg in their last two conference games after torching the nets for 81 and 83 points in each of their first two Big East tilts. On the flip side, PC is yielding 62.8 ppg and 38percent shooting against its conference brethren. “When the ball isn’t going in the hoop like it wasn’t the other night in Creighton, you’ve got to be on-point defensively,” said Lomomba. … Every Big East team can expect to delve into a portion of its schedule that resembles murderer’s row. For Seton Hall, that stretch begins today with No. 12 PC followed by dates with nationally ranked Villanova (next Wednesday) and Xavier (a week from today). At least the Pirates had some time to prepare for this gauntlet. They last played exactly one week ago. “I don’t think there is any easy stretch in this league, but playing the top three RPI teams in our league in a row is a good challenge,” said head coach Kevin Willard. … The Pirates come to The Dunk with a 2-2 mark in Big East play. Sophomore point guard Isaiah Whitehead leads Seton Hall in scoring (15.1 ppg) while classmate and forward Angel Delgado is averaging close to a double-double (9.5 ppg, 9.3 rebounds). … For those planning to be in attendance for today’s 4:30 p.m. tip-off, expect to see frequent updates from a certain NFL playoff game that’s taking place up the road in Foxboro.