Kim English brutally sums up 'pitiful, embarrassing' Providence season following Big East tournament loss

Providence‘s season ended unceremoniously after losing to Butler 75-69 in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Wednesday. They ended the year on a six-game losing streak.

The Friars finished the season 12-20 overall, including a 6-14 record against conference opponents. After the game, head coach Kim English was brutally honest about his player’s performance against the Bulldogs.

“Disappointing effort, disappointing outcome. We played true to the pitiful, embarrassing season that we’ve had,” English said. “That falls on me, and the work to correct it begins. And we will.”

Kim English takes blame for ‘a pitiful, embarrassing season’ and promises changes pic.twitter.com/6tQ8fdEvvy

— Kevin McNamara (@KevinMcNamara33) March 12, 2025

While Providence wasn’t able to come out on the winning side of things, the Friars can hang their hats on their rebounding effort during the matchup — particularly on the offensive end. In all, Providence hauled in 53 rebounds, including a 25-7 advantage over Butler on the offensive glass.

Still, those second-chance opportunities meant that Providence was missing shots. They finished 29 of 77 (37.7%) shooting as a team, while only taking four free throws as a team. Providence was -7 in the turnover margin, and never led during the game.

The Friars’ 12 wins this season is the lowest total for the Providence men’s basketball program since the 2005-06 season. They will miss out on the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many seasons under head coach Kim English.

Providence finished the 2023-24 season 21-14 overall, and were ranked as high as No. 24 in the AP Poll. However, they missed the tournament despite their success and accepted a NIT invitation instead. They lost in the first round.

After last season, English and the Friars agreed to a six-year contract extension, according to a release from the basketball program.

Winning 21 games in his first season continued English’s rise as a coach. He went 34-29 in two seasons at George Mason before he was hired prior to this season.

“Coach English has done an outstanding job leading our men’s basketball team in his inaugural year,” President Fr. Kenneth Sicard said at the time. “Given the challenges from last season, he has shown an innate ability to inspire his players to persevere with confidence. We appreciate his commitment to our program, and we look forward to him doing so for many years to come.”

Providence will now focus its attention on the offseason, and the upcoming roster movement that seems inevitable in the current are of college athletics.