There’s been some shuffling in what is already a stacked Big East conference this offseason, as nearly every school has a reason for optimism. For every school that lost a good coach, they hired a strong replacement. Many of the best players are also returning for another season. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned this year, it’s that veteran teams will find success in college basketball.
Ed Cooley to Georgetown
This has been one of the most controversial moves of the offseason. Ed Cooley left for Georgetown after being at Providence for more than a decade, despite only a small pay raise. Georgetown has had an ugly few years under former head coach Patrick Ewing. Cooley has seen a lot of success with the Friars, who will replace him with former George Mason head coach Kim English. Many expect English to succeed at Providence as he’ll be joining a team that is returning many of their important pieces.
Providence projects to remain a national contender, despite the coaching change, and now Georgetown may be restored to a new level, as Cooley continues to grab top prospects from high school to his new program. We can expect both of these programs to have high expectations for next season.
Rick Pitino to St. John’s
Some know Rick Pitino for his recruiting scandals and other violations at Louisville, but many know that he is still a great coach. Arguably the only team that gave UConn a difficult time in this year’s tournament was Iona, where Pitino coached prior to accepting a job with St. John’s. Pitino was adamant in his introductory press conference that rejoining the Big East was a no-brainer. He previously spent time as the head coach for Providence many years ago. He understands the strength and potential of the conference.
St. John’s had an average year, ending their season with a close loss to Marquette in the Big East conference tournament quarterfinals. They moved on from Mike Anderson and quickly pivoted to Pitino. Pitino, 70, made it clear that he wanted to win immediately, as he doesn’t have a lot of time to waste. In his press conference he acknowledged his age and stated that he was ready to turn this program into a winner ASAP.
UConn is now the defending National Champ
UConn defeated the San Diego Aztecs convincingly in the National Championship, as they did in all of their tournament games. Head coach Dan Hurley has turned the program into being dominant once again. They’ve now won five national championships in a span of 25 years. UConn is officially a blue blood program.
Hurley was very complementary of the Big East in his post-game press conference.
“I thought we were the best conference in the country this year,” said Hurley. “It showed in the NCAA tournament.”
Hurley and his Huskies squad will look to be dominant again, despite losing key players like Jordan Hawkins and potentially Adama Sanogo to the NBA draft. There is a lot of buzz in Storrs, Connecticut, and they’ll be dominant for years to come.
Xavier, Creighton and Marquette
All three of these teams had tremendous seasons. Xavier reached the sweet sixteen, while Creighton made it to the elite eight, losing to eventual championship runner-up San Diego State. Marquette struggled in the NCAA tournament, but won the Big East conference tournament, after beating the national champion UConn Huskies in the semi-final. Marquette’s head coach Shaka Smart had a tremendous year, and received praise from many coaches, including Hurley. They’ll be returning star point guard Tyler Kolek for another season as well.
All in all, the Big East had a strong year across the board. They can only be expected to build on this effort, as many of these schools are investing heavily in their basketball programs. The Big East may just be the best conference in college basketball next year.
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