Ed Cooley knows Jayson Tatum well. Very well in fact.
The Providence College basketball boss also knows Josh Jackson, Caleb Swanigan and three other players who became instant millionaires in the NBA Draft on Thursday.
Two summers ago Cooley was an assistant coach for USA Basketball’s gold medal winning team in the 19-Under world championships. Arizona’s Sean Miller served as the head coach but Cooley sweated as much as anyone as the Americans squeaked past Croatia in overtime to win gold and complete a 7-0 run through the tournament.
“That was a great experience and really gets better as time goes by because you appreciate the talent on the team and the group as a whole.