Coach Ed Cooley: Turning up the heat

By Jack Jones/Director of Sports Information

A bolt of lightning or a carelessly thrown match have been known to start devastating fires throughout most of the West Coast during the hot, summer months.

This past summer, the excitement brought to the Fairfield University campus by Head Men's Basketball Coach Ed Cooley and his staff has ignited a wildfire of enthusiasm. And unlike the firefighters out West, Director of Athletics Gene Doris is fanning those flames with the hope that the fire will jump from the campus to the surrounding communities.

"Ed and his staff have brought a great deal of excitement to the University community," Doris says. "After meeting him for the first time, I came away feeling like I had known him all my life. Anyone who meets Ed comes away with the same feeling. Spend time in Ed's presence and you will be overwhelmed by his enthusiasm about basketball and Fairfield University."

Doris wasn't the only one to feel an immediate bond. "It felt right from the moment I arrived on campus," says Cooley, most recently an assistant coach at Boston College. "Coming to Fairfield University seemed like a natural fit. It was a gut feeling that this was the place for me."

His background suggests why this may be so. Cooley spent the nine seasons of his coaching career at Boston College, a Jesuit institution, working under head coach Al Skinner. Plus, Cooley earned his undergraduate degree and played varsity basketball at Stonehill College, a Catholic institution in Massachusetts.

Equipped with an understanding of the Jesuit and Catholic mission, Cooley knows the type of student-athlete he needs to recruit for success – both on the court and in the classroom. And he is not leaving any locale out of his purview for athletic and academic talent.

"We are recruiting in areas that haven't been tapped by Fairfield in the past," Cooley says. "We are traveling to the South and the Midwest, as well as trying to cultivate relationships close to home, especially in Connecticut." All one needs to do is take a
gander at one of his more recent daily itineraries to see that he walks the walk. On one day, Cooley and members of his coaching staff recruited potential student-athletes in South Carolina before making the trip to North Carolina for stops in Goldsboro, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Myrtle Beach.

"We are able to put together itineraries like that because my assistant coaches have done a great job in identifying kids who will fit in at Fairfield," Cooley says. "They have an eye for finding kids who have the talent for how we want to play here."

Cooley's staff includes four individuals who come from Division I programs. Bob Simon comes to Fairfield after spending the last six years at the University of Toledo, where he began as assistant coach in 2000 and was promoted to associate head coach in 2003.

Tim Fuller left his assistant coaching position at Wake Forest University to join Cooley's staff. Fuller played alongside current San Antonio Spurs All-Star Tim Duncan, and helped the Deacons secure a number-two ranking in the national poll. Fuller began his coaching career as a volunteer at Elon University, and was elevated to associate head coach for the 2004-05 season.

David "Aki" Collins comes to Fairfield after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Marshall University. During his tenure, the Brooklyn native assisted the staff in recruiting, scouting, and player development. Before that, he enjoyed a three-year tenure at Howard University as an assistant coach.

Richard Carter has become Fairfield's director of basketball operations after working with the Michigan State coaching staff under head coach Tom Izzo. He assisted that program as team manager, and helped with the day-to-day activities which included practice, game-day, and travel itineraries.

Cooley and staff know that in addition to recruiting student-athletes, they also need to recruit support from the University and surrounding communities. The head coach has been busy doing just that by making appearances at University events, including a "Meet The Coach" night on June 27 at Alumni House.

"Everyone has a vested interest in our success," Cooley says. "Support and patience are very important to building a program. Everyone has been very positive toward me, my staff, and the program so far. Our alumni reach out to us on a daily basis, and that's important to me. It's nice to be part of such a warm and outreaching community."

Both Cooley and Doris hope that warmth continues and that it will grow into a raging fire come November.