Ed Cooley to remain as Providence basketball coach

Ed Cooley isn’t going anywhere for a while.

The incumbent Providence Friars head coach has agreed to a multi-year contract extension that will keep him in Friartown for the foreseeable future. Cooley and the PC Men’s Basketball Twitter account tweeted out indications of this news that he’s staying home Tuesday morning.

And later, after reports trickled out of Cooley’s extension, Providence made the deal official. Details of the terms have not been released, however.

Cooley was reportedly interviewing for the vacant Michigan Wolverines head coaching position, left open by the departure of John Beilein, who took the open position with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this month. Cooley’s name came up in discussions, as did Juwan Howard, an assistant with the Miami Heat and a former Michigan alum. Now that Ed has turned them down, it’s evident that Michigan will have to turn their attention to Howard now and whomever else is out there.

This is obviously lovely news for the folks in Friartown, as Cooley has done a great job there the last few years. His reach has been great, and it’s obvious that he’s a very beloved figure there. So to keep him around is a win for them as well as the Big East Conference, as well.