I was at Kim English’s introductory press conference when he was named head coach at George Mason.
English was taking over a program that made one of the most iconic Final Four runs in history and then found a way to fumble it all away—a mistake the school down 95 South didn’t make.
At the press conference, English displayed a level of confidence that the school had never seen before. It was an attitude that the program needed. A program that students and the surrounding communities had long forgotten about unless their child was playing a youth game at halftime.
Over the next two seasons, English brought confidence and excitement to the program. He invited the media to attend practice whenever we wanted to be there. English wasn’t afraid of the spotlight and everything that came with it. There’s nothing you can say or do to damage his confidence, something that is hard to find in a young coach.
When the call came from Providence College, it was a no-brainer. Take the job. Was two seasons of head coaching experience enough? It was enough for English. He was warming up.
