This article is exclusively available to the Founding Members Plus Plan subscribers
When Ed Cooley made the surprise jump to Georgetown, Providence had its most important hire in a generation.
The Friars shocked some in the industry for choosing an up-and-coming head coach over a grizzled veteran or the hot assistant.
A grizzled veteran hire would have given Providence cover from criticism. If it didn’t work, how could you question the hire? The “hot” assistant buys time because there’s no track record as a head coach to over-evaluate.
Kim English fell in the middle. English wasn’t a grizzled veteran. In his first head coaching job, he compiled a 34-29 record at George Mason. Unlike the “hot” assistant, who gave ammunition for some to say “too big a jump” and question whether he did enough winning at Mason.
