Fourth Estate/Mitchell Richtmyre
BY JALEN STUBBS, SPORTS EDITOR
Mason men’s basketball head coach, Kim English is expected to be hired as the new head coach for Providence after only two seasons.
According to Mason Athletics, Interim Director of Athletics, Nena Rogers expressed her gratitude for all Coach English has done for the franchise since his arrival at Mason. She acknowledged his growth in the program and the impact he had on his players.
“I want to thank Coach English for the relentless energy and passion he infused into the George Mason basketball program over the past two years. We are grateful for the work Kim and his staff have done to position us for sustained success within the Atlantic 10 and on a national level. We wish him the very best as he embarks on his next step at Providence,” said Rogers.
According to Mason Athletics, President Gregory Washington explained that the next steps to take moving forward would be to undergo a national search for a new men’s basketball coach in addition to a permanent athletic director. He emphasized how the staff is expected to find candidates to fill these roles soon.
“We are moving quickly and looking nationwide to identify our next men’s head basketball coach, and we expect to have an announcement soon,” said President Washington. “While I am disappointed that Coach English did not accept our offer to retain him, I wish him continued success at Providence.”
President Washington expressed how Coach English reminded the Mason community about the excitement the basketball program had to offer.
“Coach English and his team brought the excitement back to George Mason basketball. They reminded Mason Nation and the college sports world of our basketball program’s heritage and massive potential,” said President Washington.
Senior Vince Gilbert knew that despite the loss of Coach English, there are still great things to look forward to for the university.
“I was pretty shocked to see English leave after a really good season,” said Gilbert. “I think Mason will recover though. The show has got to go on.”
Junior Steven Gray thinks otherwise. He explained due to the performance of the Patriots this season, it made sense for Coach English to leave. Gray knew that the likelihood of the university convincing Coach English to stay would be slim.
“At first I was a bit surprised, but it seemed understandable coming off a 20-win season,” said Gray. “It felt like any ounce of success was going to be all it took to convince English to leave.”
Coach English served as Mason’s 11th head men’s basketball coach after serving as the assistant coach at the University of Tennessee. His success these past two seasons has not been ignored. This year, Coach English led the Patriots to the semi-finals of the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament finishing the season 20-13 overall, 11 of these wins which were at home.
Another highlight of Coach English’s success was his record-breaking Atlantic 10 league run where the Patriots won six games in a row which was a first in school history. He has seen growth within all of his players in every aspect of the game of basketball. The Mason community wishes him all the best in his endeavors at Providence.