Providence hires Kim English as next men’s basketball coach

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Kim English is just 34years old, but has already moved around a lot in his coachingcareer, serving as an assistant at three schools over six yearsbefore landing his first head coaching job at George Mason in2021.

It was going to take a special opportunity for him to pack upand move again.

“Every place I’ve been, I’ve wanted to stay there forever. Ireally want to stay at a place for a long time,” English saidThursday. “I’m sick of moving,”

He believes he has found that place in Providence.

English was named the Friars’ new basketball coach on Thursday,ending a fast search by first-year Providence athletic directorSteve Napolillo that was created after Ed Cooley left to take thejob at Big East rival Georgetown.

English becomes the 16th coach in school history. Cooleyresigned on Monday following 12 seasons. He complied a 242-153record with the Friars that included seven appearances, but justthree March Madness victories.

English was 34-29 in two seasons at George Mason, leading thePatriots to a 20-13 record this past season. It was the first timethe school reached the 20-win milestone since 2016-17.

George Mason president Gregory Washington said it would begin anational search to replace English.

In English, the Friars get a hungry, young coach who has builthis reputation on recruiting. He said his secret sauce findingplayers is simple.

“You work at it. You do it every day. You’re relentless,”English said.

He played college basketball at Missouri and was drafted by theDetroit Pistons in the second round in 2012. But his NBA tenure wasshort and he was waived in 2013. He had a brief stint with theChicago Bulls in 2014 and also played two years professionallyoverseas.

English began his coaching career as an assistant under FrankHaith at Tulsa in 2015 and spent two seasons there before beinghired by Tad Boyle in 2017 as an assistant coach at Colorado. In2019, former Friars coach Rick Barnes brought English to Tennesseeas an assistant coach and he stayed until being hired by GeorgeMason

He feels as if he has found a kindred spirit in Napolillo, whosold him on the passion the administration and community have forthe Friars’ basketball program.

The intel he got about Providence and Napolillo aligned withwhat he observed when he got the chance to meet him.

“His passion, his fire, his love for Providence basketballreally speaks to me. It really spoke to me what he was lookingfor,” English said. “As a first-year athletic director to be inthis situation and to go at it and not just do what other peoplemay have been comfortable with. ... That’s what you want in apartnership.”

English also said he’s impressed by facilities at Providencethat he said are among the best he’s seen.

Napolillo said the reason he was able to move so quickly on thehire was because he heeded the advice of his mentors who told himto always be prepared to have to fill a coaching vacancy.

“You always need to have names in a drawer for any coachingsituation. You never know what’s going to happen,” he said. ”Thisyear, as noise kept growing and growing, I had a list in mydrawer.”

That list also included a Sports Illustrated article he savedfrom last year that listed some rising coaches. He can’t recallwhy, but for some reason he highlighted English’s name in thestory.

English has already started working and began recruiting notlong after signing his contract on Wednesday night, he said.

He also confirmed that Dennis Felton, one of his assistants atGeorge Mason, will join him at Providence. Felton served as aFriars assistant under Barnes from 1992 to 1994.

In a Big East that is stacked from top to bottom with coachingtalent, English feels as if the pieces are in place to buildsomething special.

“I’ve had no reason to take a bad job,” English said. “I was a20-something-year-old assistant in the SEC. I didn’t have to rush.If I’m going to have interest in it, it’s going to be reallygood.”

For him, that translated into being in a position to bring theFriars a national championship.

“If you want to win the big trophy, you’ve got to be in the bigdance,” English said. “At the mid-major level it’s gettingincreasing harder to get to the big dance. This gives us anopportunity. If we are competing for Big East championships, we’regoing to be in the show.”