Former Providence basketball coach Kim English will join Michael Malone's staff at North Carolina. English was let go after a disappointing season with the Friars, finishing with a 48-52 record during his tenure there.
Kim English has his next men’s college basketball home.
ESPN reported Monday afternoon the former Providence head coach will be hired as part of Michael Malone’s first staff at North Carolina.
English spent the last three seasons with the Friars and the previous two leading George Mason. He was a combined 82-81 over five years, including 48-52 with Providence. English was fired with four years remaining on his contract after an 85-72 loss to St. John’s at the Big East Tournament and replaced by Bryan Hodgson.
Malone was an assistant with the Friars from 1995-98 before moving on to a host of jobs in college and the NBA. His highlight to date was capturing a championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2022-23, part of the decade he spent with the franchise. Malone was fired with three games left in the 2024-25 season and spent last year working in media with ESPN.
Former Providence head coach Kim English will join Michael Malone's staff at North Carolina.
Malone is back in college for the first time since working as an assistant for Manhattan from 1999-2001. He jumped to an assistant’s spot with the New York Knicks the following season, a chance with his hometown professional team for the Queens native. Malone spent a short stint leading the Sacramento Kings before his hiring by Denver ahead of the 2015-16 season.
English closed 21-14 in his first year with Providence, reaching the NIT despite a major knee injury suffered by Bryce Hopkins early in league play. Devin Carter developed into the Big East Player of the Year and a lottery pick, leaving after his junior season. The Friars were expected to make progress from there but finished just 27-38 over the next two campaigns.
Providence invested heavily in the transfer portal ahead of 2025-26 but still closed just 15-18. The Friars suffered nonconference losses to Virginia Tech, Colorado, Wisconsin and Florida that scuttled their postseason chances before league play began in December. Providence was just 4-9 in games decided by six points of less, including an 87-81 road defeat at No. 2 Connecticut in late January.
“(English is) going to be a star in this business,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said postgame. “The guy’s a brilliant young coach. I thought he did a great job of having his team ready.”
Ex-Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, a onetime Providence Friars assistant, is the new head basketball coach at North Carolina.
That defeat against the Huskies came after an 81-78 home loss to Georgetown, the possible turning point that convinced Friars administration to start looking elsewhere for 2026-27. Providence squandered a 21-point lead against former coach Ed Cooley, creating a poisonous atmosphere at Amica Mutual Pavilion both late that Saturday afternoon and in following home games. The Friars fell flat in a 78-56 defeat against Marquette on Senior Night, and fans openly called for English’s job during and after those difficult 40 minutes.
English coached a top-20 tempo team and a top-35 offense in 2025-26 according to KenPom.com. Providence slumped from a top-20 defense in his 2023-24 debut to 170th last season, one of the worst performances by the program in a single campaign. The Friars managed a five-game winning streak to open the 2024-25 season, its longest extended stretch of success under English.
English’s prep recruiting was a clear strength during his time with Providence. He landed coveted prospects like Garwey Dual, Oswin Erhunmwunse and Jamier Jones over his three seasons and brought in Stefan Vaaks from overseas. Vaaks committed to Illinois over the weekend, a top-10 transfer on the market who commanded a significant price from a program coming off a Final Four.
One potential door for English to move on closed Monday morning when Tennessee hired former Boston College coach Earl Grant to its staff. English worked for Volunteers coach Rick Barnes prior to being hired away by the Patriots for the 2021-22 campaign. Grant cracked the .500 mark in just one of his five seasons with the Eagles, reaching the second round of the 2024 NIT thanks to a 62-57 road win over the Friars.
The Tar Heels moved on from program alum Hubert Davis after five seasons and an overtime loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It was a second straight exit in the opening round for North Carolina and the third time in four years the program failed to reach the second weekend of the event. Davis finished runner-up to Kansas in his 2021-22 debut, closing 29-10 overall.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ex-Providence basketball coach Kim English hired at North Carolina staff
Kim English was fired after an 85-72 loss to St. John's in the Big East Tournament, finishing his tenure with a 48-52 record.
Kim English had a coaching record of 48-52 during his three seasons at Providence College.
Michael Malone is the head coach at North Carolina and was previously an assistant with the Friars from 1995-98 before winning a championship with the Denver Nuggets.
Michael Malone was fired with three games left in the 2024-25 season and spent the previous year working in media with ESPN.
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