Providence basketball's Kim English goes scorched earth on 'pitiful, embarrassing' Friars after loss vs. Butler
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Providence basketball head coach Kim English let loose in the postgame press conference after his team’s 75-69 loss to Butler in the Big East Tournament. The Friars have had a very trying season, finishing 12-20 overall and 6-14 in conference play. Providence basketball is in year two under Kim English, who was hired after long-time coach Ed Cooley departed to take the Georgetown job.
The program came into 2024 with some expectations, with star Bryce Hopkins returning from a season-ending injury the previous year. Unfortunately, the forward has not been healthy this season, and the team has regressed in multiple areas. Kim English did not hold back on the disappointment of this season with his opening statement in the postgame.
“Disappointing effort, disappointing outcome that played true to the pitiful, embarrassing season we've had. That falls on me, and the work to correct begins. And we will.”
Kim English knows he has a lot to prove going into next season
At 36 years old, Kim English is still a young coach adjusting to leading a team at the Big East level. A former player at the University of Missouri, English went on to have a three-year professional career that included a stint with the Detroit Pistons. The Baltimore, Maryland native subsequently got into coaching, working as an assistant from 2015-2021 at Tulsa, Colorado, and Tennessee.
English then became the head coach at George Mason, where the program saw improvement from year one to year two under him. Unlike his time with the Patriots, the Friars have not improved in English’s second season after almost making the NCAA Tournament in his first one. Providence basketball struggled on both ends this season and was toward the bottom of the Big East in multiple statistical categories. The team sorely missed reigning Big East Player of the Year Devin Carter, whose development under English is a positive sign of the head coach’s ability to help players grow.
However, English knows that this program will need to make a significant jump in year three, or else questions its direction will pop up. The Friars have been a very competent program over the past decade, making it to the NCAA Tournament on several occasions. It was also only three seasons ago that Providence basketball won the Big East regular-season crown and made it to the Sweet 16. This was the first time the Friars made it to the second weekend of The Big Dance since 1997.
Kim English understands the expectations he walked into when signing the contract to lead this proud program. Providence has the resources and energy to succeed in this new era of college basketball. This passionate fanbase can propel a competitive team to the NCAA Tournament with its homecourt energy. It’s time for the Friars to take advantage of the environment they have built.
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