UNC Adds Former Providence Head Coach to Malone’s Staff

The North Carolina Tar Heels have added another highly successful coach to their revamped staff, bringing in Kim English as an assistant to newly hired head coach Michael Malone.

The 37-year-old English joins the Tar Heels staff, which has been completely flipped over the offseason. He is a notable addition for Malone, who was hired last week after a long coaching search following Hubert Davis's firing after five seasons and back-to-back first-round exits in the NCAA Tournament.

Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reacts in the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Malone — a former NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 — wasn’t considered a frontrunner for the head coaching job until the moment he was hired. Malone hasn’t coached in the NCAA since 2001, so he’ll need some experienced assistants to help him smoothly transition into his new role as the leader of the Tar Heels. Luckily for him, English provides just that.

Mar 12, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Providence Friars head coach Kim English against the St. John's Red Storm during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

English’s Resume

English previously served as the head coach at Providence from 2023 to 2026. He went 48-52 over that span with no NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance. Prior to Providence, he was the head coach at George Mason from 2021 to 2023 and has served as an assistant at Tulsa, Colorado, and Tennessee during his coaching career. At just 37-years-old, English has gained plenty of experience in the coaching realm in a short period of time.

Despite not having much success as a head coach, English has been around the game for quite some time, and his expertise could prove valuable for a coaching staff that needs veteran coaches. Besides, having former Power Conference head coaches as your assistants is never a bad thing.

Mar 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Providence Friars head coach Kim English looks on against the Georgetown Hoyas during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Before Coaching

Before getting into coaching, English played collegiately at Missouri from 2008 to 2012, and was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. After a brief playing career split between the NBA and overseas, English delved into coaching, now finding himself at one of college basketball’s most premier programs as an assistant.

Mar 11, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Providence Friars head coach Kim English coaches against the Butler Bulldogs during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With English on the staff, it benefits Malone to have a coach who has experience manning a Power Conference team, and will make life easier in terms of recruiting, as well as having a coach on staff who has dealt with the current landscape of college athletics.

There will be immense pressure on Malone and his staff to perform well in year one, but their amount of prior success and experience could mean that the Tar Heels will be back on college basketball’s mountain top sooner rather than later.

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