Friar Basketball
Home / General News / Importance of Chartered Flights

Importance of Chartered Flights

harkins

It’s early Sunday morning, just hours after Providence College fell to 13th ranked Creighton in downtown Omaha, NE. An exhausted Ed Cooley stands at the foot of the team’s chartered jet headed back to TF Green Airport. The words, “Thank you very much for coming, I appreciate it,” exit the mouth of a coach who had watched his team give up 45 points to college basketball’s golden boy, Doug McDermott.

Everything that Ed Cooley has brought to the school was encapsulated in that small gesture. Defeated handedly, in the midst of fighting for an NCAA Tournament bid, he still took the time to thank each and every person who was on the team’s trip to Creighton. He very easily could have thrown on his head phones, walked onto the plane to watch game tape and search for answers for a PC team now in dire need of first round win in the Big East Tournament. Not Ed Cooley though. Not a coach who carries the amount of passion, generosity and care for a program he grew up loving.

Ed Cooley gets it. Plain and simple.

Providence College’s endowment ranks 3rd to last in the Big East, a statistic that has held PC back in the past and still does to a degree. With Ed Cooley however, through his charismatic nature and flat-out perseverance, he has elevated the program from the bottom of the Big East standings and has begun to do the same in terms of fundraising.

“A lot of coaches don’t get fundraising, he’s gifted,” said Associate Athletic Director Steve Napolillo. Napolillo, who spearheads fundraising for PC athletics, went on to add, “In my time here, he’s the first coach that I’ve been able to work with who really understands and gets it. He’s smart about it too. He understands that he derives the benefits of what I do.”

Bob Driscoll, Providence’s Athletic Director of 12 years, echoed Napolillo’s statement by saying, “It shows Ed’s character and the core values that he has and people want to be around him. That is what makes him so special.”

When speaking with Driscoll, he noted that since he started working at Providence College, he has seen athletic fundraising rise from $50,000 a year to $4 million in 2013. This year, the school expects to reach $4.2 million.

That type of growth has enabled the school to do a number of great things during Driscoll’s tenure. Renovations of Alumni Hall, Schneider Arena, Concannon Fitness Center and many more. In addition to facility improvements, athletic funding has opened the doors to chartered flights for the men’s basketball team.

When Ed Cooley was announced as Providence College’s 15th coach in school history, he said confidently that he would build the men’s basketball team back up, brick by brick. This season, the school added three more bricks to a program that has the potential of being labeled “The House that Cooley Built”, in this new generation of the Big East Conference.

Those three bricks, representative of the three chartered flights to away games that PC was able to afford this season. The first of which came against Butler, secondly Georgetown and most recently Creighton.

Chartered flights are important for the school for a variety of reasons. Providence College President, Brian Shanley, shared, “What is most important to me, is that they get our student-athletes back on campus quickly; so that they miss as little class time as possible.” For anyone who hasn’t traveled frequently, the rigors of flying commercially can often times be cumbersome, especially for a team rushing back to Providence in order to get back in the classroom and onto practice floor.

For a trip like the one taken to Creighton this past weekend, it can cost the school up to $100,000 dollars, not cheap by any means. As expensive as chartered flights are, they are a necessity in an era where the recruiting landscape becomes even more competitive year in and year out. Schools like Georgetown and Marquette can offer chartered flights to every away game as they are far more financially privileged. A luxury that they can pitch to prospective recruits that PC cannot.

Several years ago, it appeared that reaching the financial levels of other high major schools was far out of reach. Under the leadership of Bob Driscoll, the tireless fundraising efforts of Steve Napolillo, Kevin Connolly and their staff and the spirited Ed Cooley, joining the likes of Georgetown and Marquette is no longer a shot in the dark.

“People want to invest in programs that are going places. People want to be a part of our family, that’s why doing these trips is so important,” added Driscoll.

From a donor’s perspective, Domenic Coletta ’78 voiced, “The trips in general provide donors the ability to see other schools. We can check out the campuses and athletic facilities. These are also some historic arenas, like Hinckle Field House at Butler or Freedom Hall on the campus of Louisville.”

I saw this first hand this past weekend as I was fortunate enough to be invited on the trip to Creighton. While there, we were treated to a guided tour of Creighton’s athletic facilities and it was very interesting to learn about what PC is up against.

As mentioned above, however, these types of opportunities do not come at a low cost. What is most significant, is the student athlete’s experience during their time at PC – the players that we cheer on every time they throw on a Friar uniform.

By giving to Providence College Athletics, it helps Ed Cooley tremendously as he attempts to bring Providence College to the forefront of college basketball. Whether it is a $1 or $1,000, every little bit counts. The school appreciates every dollar donated.

To help PC reach their goal of $4.2 million in 2014 and make future chartered flights possible, donate today by visiting GiveToPC.org.

Make your contribution to “The House that Cooley Built.”

Email Craig – craig.belhumeur@friarbasketball.com
Craig on Twitter – @Craig_Belhumeur

You must be logged in to post a comment Login