Cooley - ‘very, very hard’ to turn down Michigan (247 article)

Submitted by Indy Pete - Go Blue on May 28th, 2019 at 5:48 PM

Ed Cooley clearly insinuates that Manuel made a hard push to hire him for the Michigan job, and that he turned down an offer.  I was under the impression that he was interviewed as a serious candidate, but that the job was not officially offered.  The way Cooley handles this topic is in contrast to the way Coach Beilein humbly and honestly acknowledged that he was never formally offered the Pistons job last year. Not that there was much doubt, but I think we got that Warde made the right choice here, regardless of how Cooley wants to frame it.

 

https://247sports.com/college/michigan/Article/Michigan-basketball-Ed-Cooley-very-hard-to-turn-down-Michigan-132380569/

nerv

May 28th, 2019 at 5:53 PM ^

This actually makes me very unfond of Ed Cooley. In my completely speculative and baseless opinion Cooley got wind of the fan bases reaction to him as a candidate and this is his way to throw a little shade back.

TrueBlue2003

May 28th, 2019 at 7:07 PM ^

I don't think this has anything to do with petty smugness against the fanbase. 

This is so he can tell recruits he turned Michigan down.  He's not going to say, yeah, they never offered.  He's going to say, "yeah, Michigan wanted me but I love Providence, we're building something here and I couldn't leave."  Technically, none of that is untrue although how badly Michigan wanted him is unclear.  But this is a much better sell.

Erik_in_Dayton

May 28th, 2019 at 6:08 PM ^

He may have "turned down" Michigan in the sense that he re-signed with Providence before Manuel made a decision. But there's no reason to believe Warde offered him the job before.conducting his already-scheduled interview with Howard. That doesn't make sense. 

Alumnus93

May 28th, 2019 at 6:30 PM ^

ok.. now if warde did him a favor here, and then cooley says that, its dissing Michigan...  somewhat similar to Schiano turning down the job, the latter I heard was true, that he accepted it, slept on it, and then couldn't leave Rutgers (lol).    I for one, won't be surprised when his next job is a lessor program than Providence.

ThePolishFalcon

May 28th, 2019 at 6:34 PM ^

why was Cooley considered for the job?  I don’t understand why he was considered in the first place.  Looking at his resume, he hasn’t done much. 

TrueBlue2003

May 28th, 2019 at 7:13 PM ^

Because the search firm and Warde are friends with him and did him a favor to get him a raise.

Also, they didn't seem to have a plan to seriously pursue anyone with a proven resume which meant he might have actually been considered (but was probably, hopefully? still behind Howard and Yaklich had Providence not re-upped).

lhglrkwg

May 28th, 2019 at 6:38 PM ^

It's possible Cooley's and Michigan's views are both true. Cooley may have withdrew himself once it was obvious he was going to get his raise and Michigan may have had him lined up as plan C or D and never actually offered him anything

SD Larry

May 28th, 2019 at 6:56 PM ^

Transparent.  Even though he got a raise, he looks like a big talker, and karma is usually a bitch in the long run.  Just sayin.

BernardC

May 28th, 2019 at 7:20 PM ^

Good to know Ed.  BTWs, it was very, very hard for me to accept your mediocre ass as a candidate.  But, sometimes, a man's gotta do the tough stuff, so I....nah, fuck it.  Still never liked your ass.

bronxblue

May 28th, 2019 at 8:11 PM ^

It's weird - he already got his raise.  They didn't call your bluff - don't give them a reason to call it now.

Cooley is a fine coach, but he didn't have an offer when he left that office and he never got one formally at all.  I wish him luck going .500 in the Big East.

MGlobules

May 28th, 2019 at 8:21 PM ^

This is the kind of trifling stuff that has dominated here since Beilein left. If you KNOW that Cooley wasn't offered, say it. If you don't know it, don't post. Otherwise, you're just gossiping. . . 

DHughes5218

May 28th, 2019 at 8:23 PM ^

Maybe he turned down an interview or a meeting with Michigan. I guess he would technically be correct, but if he’s saying he turned down a job offer, then he’s full of shit. 

blueandmaizeballs

May 28th, 2019 at 9:36 PM ^

His interview was a favor done by his friend Warde and the guy who owns the search company to get him a raise at Providence.  I hate to think Warde was dumb enough to actually think Cooley would be a good hire.  

GoBLUE_SemperFi

May 28th, 2019 at 9:48 PM ^

He's right, though.  Is is very, very hard to turn down an offer that you didn't receive.

michymich

May 29th, 2019 at 2:07 AM ^

This is classic self interest human nature. Why wouldn't I want to create a narrative that UM wanted me as the coach? It creates even more job security and potential demand elsewhere. Cooley basically is padding his resume a little with something that can't be refuted.

 

Good for him. In a world of lying this seems perfectly reasonable.

Booted Blue in PA

May 29th, 2019 at 8:47 AM ^

Since he used that as leverage to get a raise and extension, what do you expect him to say?   He should probably just STFU and let it be, reply with how happy he is to remain where he's at, call it home, etc....   but some dudes need to toot their own horn.