Head Coach Kim English Fired By Providence Friars
It didn’t take long. Less than 24 hours after watching his team get bulldozed 85-72 by St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, Kim English was out as Providence’s head coach. Athletic Director Steve Napolillo made it official Friday morning, ending a three-year experiment that started with promise and unraveled fast.
English leaves with a 48-52 overall record and a 23-37 mark in Big East play. No NCAA Tournament appearances. No winning record in conference play. Just a whole lot of “what could have been” and a fanbase that’s been through enough coaching turmoil to last a lifetime.
How Kim English Got Here — And How It All Fell Apart
Let’s rewind. When Ed Cooley bolted for Georgetown in 2023, the Friars needed someone to keep the momentum going. Cooley had taken them to the NCAA Tournament seven times in 12 years, including a Sweet 16 run in 2022. Those were good days.
Enter English, fresh off a 20-win season at George Mason and full of genuine potential. His first year in Providence was encouraging. The Friars climbed to No. 23 in the AP Top 25. They went 21-14. Fans started to believe. Then Bryce Hopkins tore his ACL, and the wheels started wobbling. But a rough stretch with injuries? That’s forgivable. What happened next, less so.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Year two was brutal. Providence matched a program record with 20 losses, finishing 12-20. Year three didn’t inspire much confidence either — a 15-18 finish, a 7-13 Big East record, and nonconference losses to Virginia Tech, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Florida that slammed the door on any realistic NCAA Tournament hopes before January even ended.
Here’s a stat that really stings: Under Cooley, Providence was 73-32 in games decided by five points or less over his final 105 contests. Under English? That record cratered to 10-19, including a 5-14 mark over the last two seasons. Close games. Crushing losses. The kind that makes you want to throw your remote through the TV.
And against top-100 KenPom teams away from home? The Friars went 7-32 under English in those situations. That’s not a cold streak. That’s a pattern.
The Valentine’s Day Brawl Nobody Forgot
If we’re being honest, the 2024-25 season was defined as much by drama as it was by losses. On Valentine’s Day, Providence hosted St. John’s in a game that got ugly fast. The Providence crowd let Hopkins, who had transferred to the Red Storm, hear it all night. Then reserve Duncan Powell delivered a full clothesline across Hopkins’ face on a fast break. Seven ejections.
A three-game suspension. A whole lot of bad optics for a program trying to rebuild its identity. It wasn’t exactly the kind of highlight reel English had in mind.
What Rick Pitino Said, and What It Tells You
Even St. John’s Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino offered a kind word for English on the way out. “Kim’s a young coach, and he’s a very good coach. He communicates well with his team,” Pitino said.
That’s a genuinely gracious thing to say, especially from a guy whose team just eliminated yours from the tournament. And Pitino isn’t wrong — English has real qualities as a coach. He’s 35 years old, a former second-round NBA Draft pick by the Pistons, and someone who clearly connects with players.
But connecting with players and winning close games in the Big East are two very different things.
What’s Next for Providence and English
Providence now faces a familiar crossroads: find the right coach to restore a program that was genuinely elite not long ago. The Friars built something real under Cooley. They know what it looks like. The question is whether they can find it again.
As for English, don’t count him out. His name has already surfaced in connection with the Syracuse vacancy after the Orange fired Adrian Autry. A fresh start at a high-profile program could be exactly what he needs. When asked about his situation after Thursday’s loss, English made clear he wasn’t looking for anyone’s sympathy. That kind of pride? That’s a coach who isn’t done.
