Providence is hiring George Mason’s Kim English as its next men’s basketball coach, according to a report from John Fanta of Fox Sports.
The 34-year-old English is set to take over the Friars’ program after Ed Cooley left after 12 seasons for the Georgetown job earlier this week. Cooley will be introduced in Washington D.C. on Wednesday as the new coach of the Hoyas.
English is considered to be a rising star in the college coaching profession, having taken over a stagnant George Mason program from Dave Paulsen two years ago at the age of 32 and quickly engineering a turnaround. Although the Patriots went just 14–16 in year one under English, George Mason went 20–13 in year two and he quickly became respected in the Atlantic-10 for the program he was building.
Now English heads to Providence, where he takes over for a long-tenured coach who built a prominent Big East program. Tensions are high for the Friars after Cooley bolted for a better situation in the same conference, but the expectation at Providence is to win—and win quickly—which is something that English will have to prove that he’s ready for on a larger stage in the Big East.
