PROVIDENCE — When all was said and done, when the stress of a tense game had subsided, the chants of this fanbase’s old hero were drowned out, and transitioned to chants of their new one. Devin Carter, Providence College’s basketball star, walked over to his bench, waved his arms to the crowd and soaked the moment in as he walked out through the tunnel.

“MVP! MVP! MVP!” cried out the chants from the sold-out crowd, the people of his city. At least for this day.

“While I’m here,” Carter said with a smile.

On Saturday, Ed Cooley – once a beloved hero of his hometown, where he brought the Friars back to great heights over 12 seasons, which included seven NCAA Tournament appearances and a Sweet 16 – returned to Providence as a villain, the new coach of the rival Georgetown Hoyas. It was emotional. It was stressful. It was insane. Inside Amica Mutual Pavilion, where the fans already go crazy enough for their Friars, it was chaos.

Carter, who came to Providence because of Cooley, ensured it was an unwelcome return. It was a classic Big East game. It was physical. It was tough. It came down to the wire. Providence blew a 12-point lead, then fell behind with less than three minutes left. Carter was hard-fouled and Friars coach Kim English drew a technical when he charged on the court to check on him.

“I think he got hit pretty good,” English said. “And he got up like nothing happened.”

Carter was fine. He proceeded to put his team, his adopted city, on his back. Eleven points over the final two minutes. An absurdly deep 3-pointer. A steal and windmill dunk with 31 seconds left that sealed an 84-76 over the Hoyas and sent the building into paranoia.

On the opposing sideline, Cooley could only admire. He had seen this story before, Carter and his game-high 29 points willing a Providence victory, when he was on the other sideline.

“I was happy to see Devin,” Cooley said. “I was hoping he’d miss a bunch of shots, but Devin’s going to be a lottery pick. He’s a hell of a player.”

Of course, this game meant much more. English joked he wasn’t sure why there was so much buzz for a game between teams with Big East records of 1-7 and 4-4 entering the day. January 27th was a day that virtually the entire population of Providence had circled on their calendar since the Big East schedule released last summer. Arguably the most highly anticipated game on this season’s college basketball calendar after Cooley bolted last March from Providence to become Georgetown’s head coach, the first such intraconference move in the league’s storied history. He cited change, both related to business and family, for the unprecedented decision.

It was, of course, not received well by the passionate fans of the Friars, who turned out in droves on Saturday morning. Hours before the 12:30 p.m. tip, students – some intoxicated – lined up outside the AMP, some as early as 6 a.m. They shouted expletive-ridden chants about Cooley before they entered the building. Inside, a kid walked around the arena holding a cardboard cutout of Cooley’s face with the word “TRAITOR” written across his forehead. The pregame buzz was electric. It reached a fever pitch at 12:27 p.m., when Georgetown’s players and staff walked out of the tunnel. Cooley emerged in his old home wearing Georgetown colors. Heavy, heavy boos rained down on him. It was a surreal scene.

One that Cooley took pride in.

“When we came here 13 years ago, that wasn’t there,” Cooley said.

“It was emotional walking out. Twelve years. Very emotional. Of course, they’re passionate fans. They should be that way. It’s OK. They need to be like that every game. And they are like that every game. One of the hardest places in America to play. Trust me, I know.”

“(Expletive) Ed Cooley!” chants filled the arena on Georgetown’s opening offensive possession, and continued throughout the afternoon. The fans’ disgust for Cooley never crossed the line. The electricity never waned. Carter put down two jaw-dropping alley-oop dunks. Every shot mattered. It looked like Providence would pull away in the second half as it led by 12 minutes ago. Cooley was proud of his team’s resilience. Georgetown took a 69-66 lead on Jayden Epps’ 3-pointer with 2:57 to go.

But Cooley’s Hoyas aren’t ready to win games like that just yet. His old Friars certainly were.

As the Friars celebrated their victory at midcourt, Cooley exited to jeers. He was emotional as he sat on a podium in the press conference room, this time wearing the Georgetown logo.

“It’s like Mass,” Cooley said. “I needed Jesus today.”

Cooley took a deep breath, then addressed what he described as the “elephant in the room.”

“I could not be the Georgetown coach without the 12 incredible, incredible years that Brian Shanley, Bob Driscoll, the now president gave me an opportunity to change my life. … I could not be more grateful to walk into this building and see how fresh and how thirsty and how great this place is. Being born here, being raised here, being the first African-American coach. …

“(Providence College) will and continue to grow, and that’ll be a dream of mine as I cheer for Providence all but those games (we play them). I’ll always be part of the fabric, always be part of the culture of this university. The reason I made a business, family decision to move and many don’t have the courage to change because you’re content and you just want to go status-quo. I love Providence College. …

“This wasn’t overnight that everybody came in here. If anything, I should ask Providence College for a bonus check based on the energy that was in here, and that’s no lie.”

Cooley understands Saturday’s reception, but he has no regrets. And now that Saturday is over, he wants Providence fans to turn their attention away from him, and to the bright, promising future the Friars have with English in control. One that he knows wouldn’t have been possible without him.

“Embrace the young, bright coach that you have,” Cooley said. “You all got a dynamite coach, a fantastic coach who’s that young and you get a chance to develop with them. That’s what I would concentrate on. Not the (expletive) that left.”