Eight Candidates for Providence Men’s Basketball Coaching Search After Kim English’s Departure

Kim English’s three-year run as the head coach at Providence is set to come to an end.

English, who’s in the midst of a second straight losing season, has been informed he won’t return next season, per multiple reports. Athletic director Steve Napolillo has been vetting potential candidates for much of the season, so the move comes as no surprise. It opens a fascinating job, one with a rowdy fan base hungry for a winner that has supported the program well from an NIL standpoint. The question is whether that’s enough to woo a top-tier candidate, especially with other jobs throughout the Northeast expected to open. Among the priorities: finding a more experienced, proven option after hiring English after just two years of head coaching experience at George Mason.

Who could be next up in Friartown? Here’s a look at eight potential candidates.

Josh Schertz, Saint Louis

Schertz would be the ideal hire for Providence, a proven winner who just locked up the Atlantic 10 regular-season title after successful runs at Indiana State and Division II Lincoln Memorial. He has the type of personality that could rev up the rowdy Friar fan base as well. How realistic is it to land him is the bigger question, and right now it seems unlikely he’d leave the situation he has at Saint Louis with substantial resource improvements incoming for a mid-tier Big East job like Providence.

Bryan Hodgson, South Florida

Hodgson has executed quick rebuilds at Arkansas State and now South Florida, where his Bulls just wrapped up the AAC regular-season title in his first year on the job. He’s a sharp recruiter with plenty of ties in the Northeast. He might be too green for Napolillo to roll the dice on, but expect Hodgson to be a wanted man at several high-major jobs this cycle.

Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State

Calhoun is thought to be among the favorites at Kansas State and could be in the mix for other jobs as well, but it would be a surprise if Providence didn’t at least gauge his interest. One connection that could make him particularly attractive is his close friendship with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla, a Rhode Island native who worked under Calhoun when he was at Fairmont State.

Porter Moser, Oklahoma

Moser has never been a natural fit in the SEC at Oklahoma, but did take the Sooners dancing last season and had incredible success at Loyola Chicago before that, taking the Ramblers to a Final Four in 2018 and Sweet 16 in 2021. He’s an experienced option with NCAA tournament success and a track record of building programs. He’s a name worth watching whether or not Oklahoma elects to bring him back this spring.

Joe Gallo, Merrimack

Among the hottest names in the northeast is Gallo, who has successfully shepherded Merrimack up from the Division II ranks to the NEC (where he won the league twice) and now the MAAC, where the Warriors won the regular-season title this year. He’s known for his zone defense, but what has truly catalyzed his success has been elite talent evaluation, including freshman MAAC Player of the Year Kevair Kennedy this season.

Chris Mack, Charleston

Mack is an intriguing candidate given his experience in the Big East, having won big at Xavier before moving on to Louisville in 2018. His stock has fallen since then, but he’s had solid success in two years at Charleston with 45 wins in his first two seasons there. If Providence is serious about a more experienced option, there may not be a coach with a better overall résumé on the table than Mack.

James Jones, Yale

This wouldn’t win the news conference, but if Providence is serious about getting a proven winner it’s hard not to at least seriously consider Jones, who has dominated the Ivy League at Yale. His team is well positioned for a fourth NCAA tournament bid in the last five years, and the talent he has been able to bring in there (including current NBA players Danny Wolf and John Poulakidas) is unbelievably impressive.

Phil Martelli Jr., VCU

VCU is perhaps the sport’s biggest coaching factory, and Martelli’s name could get buzz quickly especially if the Rams can get to the NCAA tournament in Year 1. Martelli is the son of coaching royalty in longtime St. Joe’s head coach Phil Martelli, and had success in the state of Rhode Island at Bryant before he got the VCU job. If Napolillo has to work his way down the list, Martelli’s name could emerge.

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