Wednesday, October 15, 2025
View Larger +
PHOTO: Topshere Media, Unsplash
At the end of the day, the goal of the game of basketball is to win.
But of the three returning Division I men’s college basketball coaches in Rhode Island, all have a losing record at their respective schools.
In sports today, “patience” is a lost word.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE — SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Winning drives every D-I college basketball program. For Providence College and the University of Rhode Island, basketball is big business. Expectations are that the programs will compete at the top of their respective conferences and invites to the NCAA Tournament are expected to be a regular event, not an aberration.
At Brown, the story is different – Brown has not been to the Big Dance in more than 40 years (1985). And it was more than forty years before that for the Bears’ other elusive NCAA appearance (1939 – the first NCAA tournament game in history).
Bryant University has a first-year coach. In April, Bryant named Jamion Christian the newest head of the school’s men’s basketball program; he succeeds Phil Martelli, Jr., who left Bryant for the head coaching job at VCU.
For PC’s Kim English, URI’s Archie Miller, and Brown’s Mike Martin, each is in a varying degree of “hot seat.”
Let’s break down the three situations:
View Larger +
Friar Head Coach Kim English PHOTO: PC
Providence College and Kim English
At PC, the school is all in on basketball. The program dominates the college’s legacy going back 70 years.
In two seasons leading the Friars, English is just 33-34 overall and just 16- 24 in the Big East, with a 40% winning percentage.
English comes into his third season with a pile of talent and an NIL bill to prove it. Multiple sources say PC has spent upwards of $8 to $10 million this season. READ KEVIN STACOM’s SNEAK PEEK HERE.
The pressure will be to provide much better results than a repeat of a 20-loss season like last year.
Over the years, the PC administration has pulled the trigger quickly when they felt a Friar coach was not going in the right direction.
Gordie Chiesa was fired after one season (11-17), and Rick Barnes succeeded him. Barnes took the Friars to three NCAA tournaments.
Keno Davis only got two years with Providence. He was fired with a 27-36 record. Ed Cooley replaced Davis and took PC to seven NCAA bids.
English has lashed out. In August, he took to X (formerly Twitter) and criticized Providence Journal sports reporter Bill Koch.
What prompted English’s frustration seemed fairly innocuous.
An NCAA bid would calm the spirits at Friartown.
View Larger +
URI Head Coach Archie Miller PHOTO: GoLocal
University of Rhode Island and Archie Miller
The hottest hot seat may be held by the Rams’ Miller.
He is in the fourth season of a five-year contract, and the hopes that the former Dayton and Indiana coach would take the Rams back to the tournament have been, shall we say, elusive. The Rams have not been to the NCAA tournament since the 2017-18 season.
In fact, each year the Rams have had a complete roster reboot. GoLocal’s sports columnist Jim Malachowski talked to Miller about the expectations and challenges for this season.
Miller is 39-55 in his three years at Rhode Island, and his A-10 record is 18-36.
The team is ranked in the pre-season 12th in the Atlantic-10 Conference, a mid-level mid-major. Only La Salle and Fordham are ranked lower in the 14-team league.
It is hard to imagine the fifth year if the Rams don’t turn it around.
View Larger +
Brown Head Coach Mike Martin PHOTO: File
Brown University and Mike Martin
Martin’s seat is more warm than hot, but the Bears, who again missed out on the Ivy League playoffs last season, now face an upcoming season without All-Ivy star Kino Lilly, Jr.
Martin is 162-184 overall at Brown and 70-98 in the Ivy League during his 13 years (the Ivy League did not play the 2020-21 season due to COVID). Winning at Brown is not expected.
Big Money, Big Pressure
In 2023, English signed a six-year contract when he joined PC and reportedly had another year added after his first year. As stated, URI’s Miller is in the fourth year of a five-year contract and is paid more than $2 million a year.
Big money. Big pressure.
Cover PHOTO: Topshere Media, Unsplash, animated by GoLocal in AI.
GoLocal looks at the business of sports. More than the score or the canned quotes, we dig into the money.
Today, the college sports industry is worth upwards of $20 billion, while pro sports are a $69 billion industry.
Some local college coaches make millions annually, while some Rhode Island college players make hundreds of thousands in NIL money.
We dig into the game stories and business stories.
We follow the money.
If you have a tip or a suggestion on a story, please email us HERE or
Related Articles
Enjoy this post? Share it with others.