A head coach’s walk from the bench to the locker room is often the loneliest part of a tough loss. For Providence’s Kim English, that walk was cut short before it even began.

According to sports journalist Simone Charles, the Providence Front Office has terminated English’s contract immediately after the disappointing loss to the Hoyas. The front office’s decision was so swift that English was informed before he even reached the locker room, a clear indictment of his performance.

The Georgetown defeat was quite a disappointment for Providence. The match started pretty well for the Friars following tip-off, with freshman Jamier Jones hitting two consecutive three-pointers in the first five minutes. Jaylin Sellers complemented Jones well as the Friars led 43-25 at halftime. The Hoyas started the second half quite well, courtesy of two consecutive jump shots from KJ Williams, followed by a three-pointer from Vince Iwuchukwu.

Defensive flaws and resilient offense defined Providence’s second half, which helped the Hoyas score 56 points and stage a memorable comeback. Although it would be unfair to place the entire defeat on Kim English’s shoulders, the truth is he hasn’t delivered the desired results for the Friars. The former Detroit Pistons player admitted his flaws while taking responsibility for the team’s performance after the Georgetown game.

“I’ve not done a good enough job. building the level of toughness and discipline needed to have a chance to win. That falls squarely on my shoulders,” English said. “I’m the one that chose these guys. And I’m the one that’s tasked with cultivating the type of culture, toughness, and DNA needed to win.”

English arrived at the Providence Friars in the 2023-24 season as a major head coach signing. A Missouri alum, English had served stints as an assistant at Tulsa, Colorado, and Tennessee, before taking up the head coaching positions at George Mason and Providence. His debut season at the Friars was awe-inspiring, managing a 21-14, 10-10 with the side, and earning the confidence of the Providence Front Office.

However, as the second season followed, he couldn’t meet expectations, leading the team to a 12-20 overall record. And this season wasn’t changing his fate either. Following a steady start of 7-4 in the initial games, the Friars lost seven of their next nine, eventually culminating in English’s firing after the latest defeat against the Hoyas. In what may have been his final post-game press conference, Kim English pointed to a lack of leadership as a core issue for the Friars this season.

Kim English Believes Lack of Leadership Is a Core Problem for Providence’s 2025–26 Season

On top of the Providence Friars’ disappointing season, the team and head coach Kim English haven’t been lucky with injuries. The team lost its star player, Jason Edwards, a couple of weeks back, owing to a foot injury. Edwards has missed four games since then, a loss that was deeply felt by head coach English, who was without the guard’s offensive prowess. Besides, talented prodigy Jaylen Harrell has also been out for the season, which eliminates a viable bench option.

Following the Georgetown defeat, English reflected on this lack of leadership and players. He said, “That leadership from within is something that we’ve been working on getting. We’re down some guys, we’re missing guys, some guys are not there. So, it’s less voices, less people that can always get better.”

While the lack of leadership is quite prominent in Edwards’ absence, it would be interesting to see how the Friars make up for his absence in the upcoming games. English’s mid-season firing leaves the Friars scrambling to find new leadership and salvage what’s left of their season.

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While there haven’t been any reports of Friars management immediately going after notable coaches, they have the option to look to the assistant coaching staff, which includes Dennis Felton, Matt Palumbo, and others. What’s your suggestion on who the Friars should bring in to improve their situation?