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‘Trending’ Coach Kim English Gives Providence a Laugh After Upsetting Creighton
In what is believed to be a first in Big East Conference tournament history, a head men's basketball coach was asked his marital status in a postgame news conference.
A reporter from The Black Sportz Network informed Providence Friars coach Kim English that he was "trending a lot on Black Twitter," and "girls asked me to ask you" about his marital status.
News conference moderator John Paquette, a Big East media relations veteran, told English he was free to pass on the question.
Suitably nonplussed, English responded, "No comment." His three players next to him on the dais—Devin Carter, Jayden Pierre and Josh Oduro—stifled laughter. Carter was especially amused.
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The question was easily laughed off because all the Friars were in a great mood after the No. 7 seed upset No. 2 Creighton 78-73 to reach the tournament semifinals. The victory likely punches an NCAA tournament ticket for Providence in its first year under English, who arrived from George Mason when the successful and popular former coach of the Friars, Ed Cooley, left for Big East rival Georgetown.
Providence's season could have fallen apart when standout forward Bryce Hopkins suffered a season-ending knee injury 14 games into the year. But the Friars regrouped and now stand 21-12 heading into the Friday night semifinals.
For the record, English's Providence bio says the 35-year-old is the father of two daughters but does not list a spouse.
Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who covers college football and college basketball as well as the Olympics and horse racing. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Forde has won 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, has been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and member of the Football Writers Association of America, he lives in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.