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Georgetown men’s basketball coach Ed Cooley threw a water bottle into the home crowd after Saturday night’s loss to Xavier, apparently hitting a child who was sitting on his mother’s lap behind the bench.
The Big East school has now suspended Cooley for one game as a result of the incident.
“I met with Coach Cooley today to discuss the incident that occurred after last night’s game against Xavier,” Georgetown University Athletics Director Lee Reed said in a statement on Sunday, Dec. 21. “He expressed that his conduct was not consistent with the standards we expect from coaches and does not reflect the values of Georgetown Athletics or Georgetown University.”
Cooley had just seen his team miss 18 free throws in an 80-77 loss to Xavier and also miss a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game at the end of regulation.
Cooley opened his postgame press conference by apologizing to his family.
“It’s clearly out of character for me to be so annoyed, but the fact is, it’s not called for. I’m going to call them and make amends,” he told reporters. “So I apologize to the fans and to the players. It’s completely, completely out of character for me to behave like that.”
The Cincinnati Enquirer on the USA TODAY Network identified the family to whom Cooley apologized as the family of Vince Iwuchukwu, a former Georgetown center who was out last month needing an undisclosed medical procedure.
Cooley named the Nyakoons in his apology, but a Georgetown spokesperson confirmed Sunday that they are not actually related to Iwuchukwu.
When asked about the connection between the incident and Iuchukwu, Diana Purpa, assistant director of communications and creative services for Georgetown Athletics, told USA TODAY Sports, “To my knowledge, there is no connection.” “The Nyakoons are friends of the Cooley family.”
Cooley, 56, is in his third season as Georgetown’s coach, replacing Patrick Ewing. Georgetown (8-4) improved, going from 9-23 in its first year to 18-16 last season.
“I deeply regret my actions during last night’s game and sincerely apologize to the Nyakoon family, whom I have known for many years and who I consider to be family,” Cooley said in a statement Sunday. “My actions are unacceptable and do not represent who I am or the leader I aspire to be. I would also like to apologize to the Georgetown community, team, fans, league, and my family. I take full responsibility for my actions and their consequences. I will learn from this experience and make sure this never happens again.”
Cooley recently expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s attendance. The Hoyas played in front of a sparse crowd at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., which hosts the NBA’s Wizards and NHL’s Capitals. Last night there were just over 5,000 people.
After the game was played Dec. 13 at McDonough Arena, a small gym on the school’s campus, Cooley said he had scheduled the game there to be more convenient for fans during final exams.
“I wish more students would take study breaks,” Cooley said, according to the student newspaper, The Hoya. “It’s a little disappointing that those young men and women aren’t coming.”
Early in Saturday’s game, Cooley tried to cheer toward the crowd behind him as his team played defense in a close game.
Georgetown will next face Coppin State in McDonough on Monday, Dec. 22, the second and final game scheduled on campus this season. Associate head coach Jeff Battle will coach the team.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
