What comes next for former Providence men’s basketball coach Kim English has apparently changed.
Visit betsport24.es for more information.
ESPN reported Sunday afternoon English will decline to pursue a position on the new North Carolina staff. He was reportedly set to be hired by coach Michael Malone for his debut with the Tar Heels in the 2026-27 season.
No reason was offered publicly by the media outlet for the decision. English was connected Monday to Chapel Hill, a blueblood that would have represented a strong next professional step after his firing by the Friars in March. English spent three seasons with Providence and his last five overall as a head coach, closing 82-81 with the Friars and George Mason.
English was a standout assistant at Tennessee before being hired away by the Patriots for the 2021-22 season. It was expected he would bring NBA offensive concepts and significant recruiting relationships to North Carolina after demonstrating his ability in both areas with the Friars and George Mason. English secured top-100 prospects like Justyn Fernandez, Garwey Dual, Oswin Erhunmwunse and Jamier Jones with his previous two programs and presided over a top-35 offense nationally last season according to KenPom.com.
Providence opted to move on following an 85-72 loss to St. John’s at the Big East Tournament, a defeat that dropped the program to 27-38 over the previous two seasons. English still had four years remaining on his contract but couldn’t survive declining performance and belief with a fan base that has grown accustomed to reaching the NCAA Tournament. The Friars hired Bryan Hodgson away from South Florida seeking their first trip to March Madness since Ed Cooley’s departure after the 2022-23 campaign.
Malone would have been retracing his roots a bit by connecting with English – he was a former assistant with Providence from 1995-98 before moving on to a host of jobs in college and the NBA. His most noteworthy accomplishment came while capturing an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2022-23, the highlight of his decade with the franchise. Malone was fired with three games left in the 2024-25 season and worked in media with ESPN last year.
Malone was believed to be seeking some college experience on his staff after spending the better part of the last 25 years at the professional level. He was an assistant at Manhattan from 1999-2001 before joining the staff with the New York Knicks, a chance to stay at home for the Queens native. Malone’s first head coaching job came with the Sacramento Kings before he was hired by the Nuggets prior to 2015-16.
Transfer portal developments over the past week have limited what English might have been able to add to North Carolina next season with respect to the roster. Stefan Vaaks (Illinois) and Jamier Jones (Missouri) have both committed to power programs elsewhere, joining Oswin Erhunmwunse (Creighton). Providence likely doesn’t have the caliber of player available in the portal or potential prep recruit otherwise who could make a serious immediate impact with the Tar Heels.
North Carolina moved on from alum Hubert Davis after five seasons and an overtime loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels fell short of the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years and lost in the first round for the second straight time. Davis reached the national championship game in his 2021-22 debut, closing runner-up to Kansas.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Former Providence coach Kim English not going to North Carolina