UNC men’s basketball won’t hire Kim English as an assistant coach, after all
Kim English will not be joining Michael Malone’s staff after all, a source confirmed to the N&O on Sunday afternoon. English informed UNC officials he has decided not to pursue a position in Chapel Hill, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported.
This comes less than a week after news broke that UNC was expected to hire English, the former head coach at Providence and George Mason, as an assistant coach.
Malone was hired on April 7 and moved quickly to add former Arkansas assistant Chuck Martin to his bench as associate head coach, and Martin has already been active recruiting for the Tar Heels and making limited appearances around Chapel Hill.
Assistant coaches Sean May and Pat Sullivan, as well as director of operations Eric Hoots, are expected to stay on staff under Malone, multiple sources have confirmed to the N&O.
During his introductory press conference, Malone spoke about the importance of building a staff with “great coaches” who would both help him and “challenge” him to become the best coach possible at the collegiate level.
“I have no doubt that’s going to be a process that I attack,” Malone said.
English became a free agent following his dismissal from Providence on March 13, one day after the Friars’ 85-72 loss to St. John’s in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals. English finished 48-52 overall and 23-37 in Big East play and did not lead the Friars to an NCAA Tournament appearance in three seasons.
As the Tar Heels look to round out their bench, player development at the guard position will be a priority — particularly with Marcus Paige’s departure for Charlotte.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 4:11 PM with the headline "UNC men’s basketball won’t hire Kim English as an assistant coach, after all."
