Ed Cooley is having a rocky start to his career with the Georgetown Hoyas, and he’s seemingly asking those around him, including the media, to be better.
The men’s basketball coach is three games into his coaching tenure in Washington D.C. His team won its first game but has now lost back-to-back games, including a tough one Wednesday to Rutgers.
True to form, Jersey Mike’s Arena lived up to its reputation as a brutal environment. Cooley and his players didn’t exactly get the red-carpet treatment from the Rutgers student section, who broke into a colorful chant of the four-letter word variety mid-game. (Warning: NSFW language.)
Afterward, Cooley admitted to the media in the room that the atmosphere was challenging, and so was playing Rutgers. Still, the ending to Georgetown’s post-game presser raised some eyebrows.
(Warning: more NSFW language.)
In a clip posted to Rutgers’ YouTube account, all was seemingly well until Cooley took exception to the overall demeanor of some reporters in the press conference.
“If I could say something to all you young writers: when you have the opportunity, and you’re sitting in a room like this, the only way you’re going to get better is by having the courage to ask a question in these type of situations,” Cooley said, stroking his chin.
He then addressed potentially what he felt was too quiet of a room and not enough “great” questions. “Don’t sit in here and just be in awe. This [expletive] is real.”
It’s unclear from the video who was in the room, but Cooley is not wrong for asking for more accountable journalism. However, if he felt some young writers needed to jump at the opportunity to grow, he also had to create a welcoming environment for them. Here’s every question asked before Cooley’s rant:
- Early offense got you back into the game in the first half, but it didn’t carry over into the second. What happened?
- Would it mean a lot to you for the Big East to pull [out a win in the Gavit Games] and how do you think the Big East has done with the Gavit Games so far?
- Dontrez Styles played pretty well in the first half, then struggled a little bit in the second and got hurt. Has he now established his base line with you in terms of production?
- What did you think of Rutgers’ guards?
- Rowan [Brumbaugh], how would you rate your performance today, personally?
- What other differences did Rutgers provide from this year to last year?
Not exactly the best questions and certainly nowhere near the worst, though there’s nothing inherently wrong with Cooley’s advice.
It is worth remembering this was an away game with presumably less Georgetown-focused media. Those who did make the trip to cover the Hoyas are also just three games into the season. They haven’t had the opportunity to learn Cooley’s style or how to thoughtfully ask questions to him in a way that draws out the best answer. That has to be learned over time, just as he is learning to coach his new team and bring out the best in them.
A little bit of grace and understanding goes a long way.