Providence lost its head coach Ed Cooley to Georgetown this week. The Friars have reportedly swooped into the DMV to find Cooley’s replacement. According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Providence is finalizing a contract to hire George Mason’s Kim English as their head coach.
English is young in the coaching ranks at the age of 34. He starred in college at the University of Missouri before being a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons in 2012.
After playing professionally, English became an assistant coach in college in 2015. The Baltimore, Maryland native had stops at Tulsa, Colorado, and Tennessee as an assistant before getting his first head coach position at George Mason in 2021.
Kim English coached the Patriots for two seasons, compiling a 34-29 record. This season, George Mason finished with a 20-13 overall record and fifth place in the Atlantic-10 at 11-7. The Patriots’ season ended with a loss to St. Louis in the quarterfinals.
English has a great deal of upside. Yet, going after an unproven young coach may be a risk. Also, following Cooley may be a daunting task. Cooley was “Mr. Providence.”
It’s a challenge that Providence athletic director Steve Napolillo understands.
“This decision will define my career,” Napolillo said, per The Mark Titus Show. “If I make the right hire, I’ll be a rockstar. If I don’t, everyone will want me fired.”
As a native, Providence was a dream job for Cooley, who had five years of head coach experience at Fairfield before taking the Friars job. Yet, the program seemingly plateaued after 12 seasons. That caused Cooley to leave for a more prominent job with the Friars’ Big East rivals, Georgetown.
Still, English is one of the promising young coaches who is well on his way. He’d landed a job at a major program eventually. Thus, Providence seized the opportunity to grab him. The Friars are hoping the program can grow with English for years, moving forward.
