Who is Georgetown's new hire, Ed Cooley? Taking a closer look at the personal and professional life of Providence's former head coach

With the college basketball season reaching its conclusion for most teams, the coaching carousel has begun to spin. Near the top of the available jobs is Georgetown, which recently fired Patrick Ewing after six unsuccessful seasons.

After Providence was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Kentucky in the opening round, coach Ed Cooley became a hot commodity. Cooley has been the coach of the Friars since 2012, but now looks set to take over the Georgetown program.

Who is Ed Cooley?

The 53-year-old will be leaving his hometown as he grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. He earned Rhode Island Player of the Year twice during his playing days before moving on to Stonehill College, where he was a three-year captain.

He began his coaching career at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he served as an assistant coach during the 1994-95 season. He then bounced back to Stonehill College, to Rhode Island and then Boston College as an assistant coach over the next few years.

Cooley saw his first head coaching opportunity at Fairfield University, where he served from 2006-2011. In five seasons, he led the Stags to a 92-69 record before he got the opportunity to take over at Providence.

Returning to his hometown to coach in Rhode Island, Cooley had a great deal of success. During the 12 seasons he spent with the program, the Friars went 242-153. He led the program to the NCAA Tournament seven times and rose to as high as the 8th-ranked team in the country twice. Providence won its first conference tournament in 2013-14 under Cooley.

The veteran was named Big East Coach of the Year in 2011 and Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2012. He is married to Nurys Cooley, and the two have two children, Olivia and Isaiah.

This is a massive move for the Big East and for Cooley. It is a massive signing for Georgetown, which will strengthen its program and weaken its intra-conference rival. It is also a massive change for Cooley as he will be leaving his hometown and stepping into a program that he perceives he can take to a greater level.

The perception seemed to be that Cooley would retire at Providence, so he may have greater coaching aspirations than he was given credit for. His next challenge will be revitalizing the Georgetown program, with his fingerprints soon being ready to be put all over it.

Once a top-tier college program, Georgetown has made the NCAA Tournament just twice in the past decade. Firing Patrick Ewing, the program's best former player, was a necessary statement for the school as it attempts to get back on track. Cooley will now bring in an outside opinion as he has never been affiliated with the organization and possesses the necessary coaching chops.