By CHARLIE PARENT
Georgetown head man Ed Cooley was at the center of media controversy Saturday, following the Hoya’s 82-65 win over St. Francis.
Star guard Jayden Epps was second on the team in scoring, dropping 23 points, 6 rebounds and an assist.
Cooley was asked about Epps’ development postgame, as the young guard looks toward a potential Big East Player of the Year campaign. The head coach’s response, however, is what stirred the masses:
“It’s almost like he’s a new player. It’s something I saw in his freshman year when he played for… that other bull*** school,” Cooley said. “I’m pretty sure that’ll make national news. But I never said what school it was.”
The other ‘BS’ school Cooley is referencing would be Illinois, where Epps transferred from after the 2022-23 season.
After severe backlash on social media, Cooley ultimately apologized on X for his ‘pour choice of words.’
“My comment today was said in jest with one of my players, but I admit it was a poor choice of word,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for the University of Illinois, its men’s basketball program, coaches and players.”
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood, who was asked about the matter after their 87-40 win over Maryland Eastern-Shore, didn’t seem bothered by Cooley’s remarks.
“The guys told me about it. That’s not even worth wasting my time on. I don’t know what he’s referencing that about. I know Jayden had a productive freshman year here,” he said. “I’ll let our fans and everybody else have some fun with it, which I’m sure they probably are, but I got Arkansas and Little Rock to worry about.”
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