Ed Cooley vows to move Georgetown forward

Patrick Ewing was a star basketball player for Georgetown, leading the Hoyas to three Big East tournament titles, three NCAA championship appearances and one national championship win in March Madness. Simply put Ewing was a legend, but unfortunately, his skills on the court didn't translate to the first seat on the bench as head coach.

Ewing was the Hoyas' head coach from 2017-18 to 2022-23. He was recently fired after going just 75-109 in those six seasons with only one NCAA Tournament appearance. His replacement, Ed Cooley -- who Georgetown hired away from Providence -- now has the tough task of turning the tide and moving forward from this most disappointing era for the Hoyas.

"I don't have anything to do with what happened yesterday," Cooley said at his introductory press conference, per ESPN. "My job is to move us forward from today."

Part of moving forward for Cooley is instilling the winning culture he had at Providence. He went 242-153 in 12 seasons with the Friars, winning the Big East regular season twice, the Big East Tournament once and making seven NCAA Tournaments.

Cooley seems to know that change won't come easy, but he does seem confident.

"It's a process, and the process now, because you have a changing landscape in athletics, you'll have an opportunity to probably move it quicker than you would have 10, 20 years ago," he explained. "We're going to lose some games. It's OK. Losing's part of growth. But over the course of time, it will pay off."

In terms of the phrase "pay off" being more than just a slogan, the Hoyas do seem confident that they have "their guy".

"He has a proven record of success," athletic director Lee Reed said of Cooley. "We knew we needed a leader, someone who understood our identity and could reimagine Georgetown basketball to fit today's unique basketball landscape."