By ADAM ZAGORIA & ROB ROSE
Georgetown is on the hunt for a new head coach.
The program fired Hoyas legend Patrick Ewing on Thursday and is targeting Ed Cooley of Providence and Micah Shrewsberry of Penn State, multiple sources said.
With both of their teams potentially headed to the NCAA Tournament, there figures to be a lot of attention surrounding both coaches moving forward.
Iona’s Rick Pitino is not in the mix at Georgetown and instead is being targeted by St. John’s, per sources, while Texas Tech has also pursued the 70-year-old Naismith Hall of Famer. The Gaels were set to play Marist in the MAAC Tournament championship game Saturday night for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
As for Cooley, his daughter has been a student at Georgetown since 2019 and will graduate in May.
Georgetown officials have not reached out to Providence officials regarding Cooley, per a report from Kevin McNamara, and it’s unclear if they have contacted his agent.
No Big East coach has ever moved directly from one league school to another, but it’s happened in other leagues. Chris Beard left Texas Tech for Texas. A Rhode Island native, Cooley would have to be prepared for hostile crowds in Providence if he came back as a visiting coach.
Cooley has not made any statements on his future since the Friars lost to UConn on Thursday in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.
As for Shrewsberry, he’s a former Butler assistant and knows the landscape of the Big East. He’s also red-hot right now.
His Penn State team was picked 11th in the Big Ten but stunned No. 3 seed Indiana, 77-73, on Saturday in the Big Ten semifinals and will face top seed Purdue in Sunday’s championship.
After the game, he addressed reports linking him to both Georgetown and Notre Dame.
“You know me: [When] basketball season’s going, I’m completely tunnelvision on our team and State High basketball, right,” Shrewsberry told reporters in Chicago.
“But that’s all I’m focused on. I’m happy to be here, right. Nobody wanted me a few years ago. I’m happy to be here. I love our guys. We’re gonna prepare to play for a championship tomorrow.”
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