Providence wasted little time replacing Ed Cooley. The Friars have agreed to a six-year contract with 34-year-old George Mason coach Kim English, sources told CBS Sports. English, who was announced as the coach of the Friars on Thursday, spent the past two seasons coaching the Patriots in the Atlantic 10 and went 34-29.
English became the primary candidate for PC athletic director Steve Napolillo in the days leading up to Cooley's retreat to Georgetown, sources said.
"Today, we begin a new era in the proud history of Providence College basketball. As I was looking for a new head coach, I consulted some of the most knowledgeable people in the game, including Mike Tranghese and Rick Barnes," said Napolillo in a statement. "I wanted to find an individual who represented passion and integrity as well as the many other values of Providence College. That led me to Kim. Kim is known as one of the best recruiters in the country and he is a rising star in college basketball. He has had success at every level of basketball as a player and a coach. I look forward to our program reaching new heights and having the opportunity to work with him as my teammate for many years to come."
A Baltimore native who played prep basketball in New England, English has a connection to Providence in part through Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. English served as an assistant on Barnes' Tennessee staff a few years ago; Barnes coached at Providence from 1988-1994; he continues to have an affection for the school and helped push for English's candidacy this week.
After a four-year career at Missouri, English was the 44th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. He played professionally until 2015. His coaching career has been a fast rise, with two-year stints at every stop in the past eight seasons, starting with an assistant's post at Tulsa (2015-17), then Colorado (2017-19) and Tennessee (2019-21). In 2021, George Mason made him a first-time head coach.
A dual press conference has been planned for next Wednesday, wherein the school will also introduce its new women's basketball coach as well, according to a source.
