Providence Basketball: 10 candidates to replace Ed Cooley as head coach

Kim English

This next name is someone who’s already been connected to a number of top jobs the last two offseasons and who might have the kind of connections that Providence is looking for in their next head coach. He’s still very young and only has a few seasons as a head coach, but is English ready to make this kind of leap?

A native of Baltimore, he was a talented shooting guard on Missouri just over a decade ago before a brief playing career, both internationally and with the Detroit Pistons. English got into coaching and had brief stints at Tulsa, Colorado, and Tennessee as an assistant, aiding former Providence head coach Rick Barnes in that final stop. His head coaching career began in 2021 at George Mason and his work with the Patriots has actually been somewhat successful, taking them to a 20-13 season along with a 5th place finish in the A-10 this year.

English is a coach on the rise who may very likely end up at a power conference school in the near future. His experience might be significantly less than some of the other head coaches on this list, but he’s contributed to winning teams all over the country and can do the same in the Big East with these Friars. Again, his connection to Barnes isn’t something to overlook, and it might make the Friars less weary about his lack of coaching experience.