Friar Basketball Newsletter: Kim English hired as Providence's next head coach, how AD Steve Napolillo helped change the tenor of the week, the latest Friar Podcast, a commitment and re-commit...
How is it possible that it’s been only seven days since Ed Cooley announced his intentions to leave Providence for Georgetown?
Everything that transpired over the past week did so at such a dizzying pace. Cooley was gone by Monday, he was introduced to the D.C. media Wednesday, and a day later Providence announced they had their new head coach in 34-year-old Kim English.
English was a star player at Missouri at a time when the Tigers were experiencing enormous success. His teams won 107 games in his four seasons (good for nearly 27 victories a year) and finished in the top 10 in the final AP Poll in both his freshman and senior years. He was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Pistons, chose to become a college assistant instead of working in the NBA in his mid-20s, took over George Mason two years ago, and now he’s leading the Friars.
Friar Basketball had you covered throughout the week, with additional content this weekend. Our feature on the hiring of English details his journey to Providence, his coaching philosophy, and why PC Athletic Director Steve Napolillo believes English “is a rising rocket.”
“Providence is a great job, and it’s in great shape. The foundation is laid, there is an incredibly high standard that we will continue to meet,” English said on upon being hired. “Our challenge is that we want to elevate it — and we will.”
For his part, Napolillo adeptly navigated the most challenging week of his early tenure as Athletic Director.
Billy Ricci and I connected this week on the latest episode of The Friar Podcast. We touched on Providence’s season-ending slump, the departure of Cooley, and early impressions of Kim English.
English got to work right away on the recruiting trail, offering several players from the DMV, securing a re-commitment from Donovan Santoro (a small forward from Southern California Academy who committed to the previous staff), and locked down freshman transfer Justyn Fernandez who played for him this past season at George Mason. Subscribers can read about this story, English’s New England prep background, and more in this week’s News and Notes column.
We also delved into Cooley’s departure earlier in the week, and how his story could have ended so much differently.
This figures to be an extremely busy spring in Providence, and we are committed to covering it all. Thank you for your continued support of Friar Basketball!