Providence's Kim English hits referee John Gaffney in face with pass from sideline

As Providence went back and forth against Marquette in Friday’s Big East Tournament game, Friars coach Kim English ended up with the ball on the sideline. Naturally, he went to toss it back in.

When he did, he hit referee John Gaffney in the face.

The Providence and Marquette players were regrouping after the ball went out of bounds, and English went to toss it back in to get back to game action. It looked like Gaffney was trying to get the players ready to get rolling again, but got interrupted when the ball hit him.

Kim English JUST NAILED John Gaffney in the face with a pass😳🫣
pic.twitter.com/cheiblFYKB

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 16, 2024

Gaffney seemed alright after taking the shot. He and English walked back to the sideline, with the coach putting his arm around the official as he apologized for the accident.

It’s been an exciting week so far at Madison Square Garden for the Big East Tournament, and Friday’s game between Providence and Marquette kept it going. The Golden Eagles took a 42-31 lead into halftime, but the Friars battled back in the second half to get within two points with 3:39 to play.

However, Marquette pulled away to come away with the 79-68 victory and advance to Saturday’s championship against UConn, which defeated St. John’s earlier Friday.

After leaving George Mason over the offseason, Kim English’s first year as Providence head coach ended with a 21-13 overall record, including a 10-10 mark in conference play. The Friars arrived in New York City as the No. 6 seed and pulled off back-to-back victories to start the week, first beating Georgetown on Wednesday and upsetting Creighton on Thursday to set up the matchup against Marquette.

As he arrived for his first Big East Tournament, English said he wanted to make sure he didn’t get too far ahead of himself – especially since he was going to be roaming the sidelines at The Garden. A Maryland native who went to high school in Massachusetts, English knows how much the tournament means from watching it on TV growing up.

So while it was special to be in New York, he wanted to keep his focus on the task at hand.”

“I grew up watching this tournament,” English said. “But it’s not important, the fantastical things, all of – The Garden. The game is the most important thing. In this league, if you’re not focused, it’s like a cannonball going through your chest. So we don’t have time not to focus in this league.”