Tag Archives: Providence coaching staff

Coaching Staff

Ed Cooley Promotes Ivan Thomas to Vacant Assistant Coach Position

1 Comment

Ed Cooley is now being forced to hire a replacement assistant coach for the second straight offseason. Last Spring, Bob Simon left for Alabama. This Spring, Andre LaFleur left for UNLV. Cooley also had to make another coaching hire last offseason that may have flown under the radar, but now seems more significant. Mike Jackson left his position on Cooley’s staff as the Coordinator of Basketball Operations, which was filled by Kevin Kurbec. Kurbec moved up from his position of Associate Director of Player Development/Video Ops. That musical chairs led to Cooley hiring Kecoughtan High School head coach Ivan Thomas to Kurbec’s former position. Fast-forward to the present and Cooley has decided to promote Thomas to the vacant assistant coach position vacated by LaFleur’s departure on April 21st. That’s quite a whirlwind move for a former Virginia high school and AAU coach. Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal first reported the news of Thomas’ promotion.

Continue reading Ed Cooley Promotes Ivan Thomas to Vacant Assistant Coach Position →

Links of the Day

#pcbb Links of the Day 10/28/15

Leave a comment
Coaching Staff

Providence Adds Former HS Coach Ivan Thomas to Coaching Staff, Former Big East Commish Mike Tranghese to be Senior Advisor for Basketball

1 Comment

Providence announced on Monday that they are making some additions to their basketball program staffs. The one that was rumored to be in the works for some time now is Ed Cooley bringing Ivan Thomas into the fold as the Associate Director of Player Development and Video Operations. Thomas moves into Kevin Kurbec’s role as Kurbec slides up into the Coordinator of Basketball Operations role previously held by Mike Jackson. Kurbec served a similar role under Tim Welsh from 2005-08. Jackson is no longer with the Providence program. It has long been believed that Jackson wants to get more into the athletic department side of college basketball and is working towards that.

The part of the announcement that came as a bit of a surprise is that Providence is bringing former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese back into the fold at Providence as a Senior Advisor for Basketball. Tranghese is currently part of the College Football Playoff committee, though he is expected to step down from that post after the current college football season ends. Tranghese “will assist Athletics Director Bob Driscoll with a variety of items involving the College’s basketball programs,” according to the release sent out by Providence’s athletic department.

Continue reading Providence Adds Former HS Coach Ivan Thomas to Coaching Staff, Former Big East Commish Mike Tranghese to be Senior Advisor for Basketball →

General News

God Shammgod to be Graduate Assistant Next Season for Friars

1 Comment

After weighing his options as his undergraduate time was coming to an end God Shammgod has opted to continue his education at Providence College by enrolling in graduate school. That also allows him to stay on the Friar coaching staff and continue his work with Kris Dunn and the rest of the Friar guards. The news was first reported by John Rooke in his weekly “Thinking Out Loud” column on WEEI.com.

Continue reading God Shammgod to be Graduate Assistant Next Season for Friars →

Links of the Day

#pcbb Links of the Day 5/18/15

Leave a comment
General News

With Degree in Hand, God Shammgod Weighing Options

4 Comments

6,535 days. That’s the number of days between the 1997 NBA Draft and the 2015 Providence College Commencement ceremony. Nearly 18 years between two very significant events in the life of God Shammgod. A lot happened on the court during those 6,535 days. 20 games in the NBA with the Washington Wizards who drafted him in the second round of the 1997 NBA draft. 13 years playing in leagues across the USA and the world, including stops in Poland, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Croatia and China. China was the last place he played and it was a knee injury suffered in his final season there that may have been the catalyst to him returning to Providence College and taking up his studies again on the Smith Hill campus.

Continue reading With Degree in Hand, God Shammgod Weighing Options →