Losing at home is never good. Losing to one of the worst record-holders in the conference by the largest margin of the season could be grounds for sacking. And that seems to be the case for the Providence Friars Head Coach, Kim English. Besides that, though, the Friars might have another entirely plausible $10.5 million worth of reasoning to consider their head coach’s fate.

The Friars fell 78–56 to Marquette on Wednesday in their final home game of the season. The loss dropped them to 14–16 overall and 7–12 in Big East play. After this, the coaching staff came under fire for not producing results, despite the funds made available to them. Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman highlighted the same during the latest episode of the Field of 68: After Dark podcast.

“They (Providence) got blasted tonight at home to a bad Marquette team. He (Kim English) is gone,” said Jeff Goodman before adding,” I think Adam Zagoria reported today that he’s already been informed that he’s gone… They raised a ton of money this year for him. He had $10.5 million this year, completely underachieved.”

Yes, according to Zagoria, English was informed a week ago about the program’s decision to part ways.

This is Kim English’s third season as the HC with the team, and his tenure has been rather lackluster, as he holds a 42–50 overall record and 20-36 in Big East play. His best year was when the Friars finished 21-14 in 2023-24 to reach the NIT, only to leave in the first round. Since then, English’s hiring has appeared to be a risk, as it seemed in 2023. 

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Back then, English was 34 years old and had only been the Head Coach for George Mason for two years. And for a team that had made the NCAA tournament in seven of the previous ten seasons and had invested heavily in NIL, the Friars were expected to hire someone with more experience.

We are yet to see if Zagoria’s report will hold. When asked about the report, Providence athletic director Steve Napolillo gave a very balanced reply, saying:

“Kim is the coach and as with all our coaches, I will evaluate at the end of the season,” Napolillo said. “We have one game left and the Big East Tournament.”

These words do not contain much optimism for English. What’s worse is that the fan base has also turned its back on him. Amidst such uncertainty, several options are emerging for who could be the next HC at Providence.

Can Bobby Hurley replace Kim English at Providence?

Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley could be an outsider to become the Providence head coach next season. The 54-year-old has spent 11 years at Arizona State, with 184 regular-season wins.

However, the Sun Devils could be without Hurley next season, with his contract up for expiry at the end of this college year. While the Arizona State college program hasn’t spoken about any extension or any plans, Hurley could be just the man to carry the Friars forward.

Over his 11 years at Arizona State, Hurley has taken his team to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and also learned from the experience of being in a conference as competitive as the Big 12.

Bobby Hurley has exhibited the qualities of an admirable leader, with his players always willing to hold the banner up and wage war for their head coach. Providence needs a head coach who can inspire players and fans while also leading the program to a better situation than it currently finds itself in.

Teams will probably pursue Hurley heavily if Arizona State doesn’t renew his expiring contract. And Providence should be one of them if they want to build something special in Rhode Island. Hurley will be a big catch for Providence. But it’s not (K)impossible to envision him leading the Friars program come next season.