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FAIRFAX, VA –��A national search is underway to name George Mason �鶹����’s next men’s basketball head coach, Mason President Gregory Washington said Thursday.

Coach Kim English is departing George Mason to become the head men’s basketball coach at Providence College.

“We are moving quickly and looking nationwide to identify our next men’s head basketball coach, and we expect to have an announcement soon,” Washington said. “While I am disappointed that Coach English did not accept our offer to retain him, I wish him continued success at Providence.”

“Coach English and his team brought the excitement back to George Mason basketball. They reminded Mason Nation and the college sports world of our basketball program’s heritage and massive potential,” Washington said.

Washington said Mason’s current search for a permanent athletics director also will be accelerated and will be completed in the coming weeks.

“We have made significant commitments to enhance our basketball and academic facilities, and along with a new athletics director, our next coach will step into an exciting new era at Mason athletics,” Washington said.

Nena Rogers, Mason’s interim athletics director, said, “I want to thank Coach English for the relentless energy and passion he infused into the George Mason basketball program over the past two years. We are grateful for the work Kim and his staff have done to position us for sustained success within the Atlantic 10 and on a national level. We wish him the very best as he embarks on his next step at Providence.”��

“We have a proud basketball tradition here at George Mason. I am confident Mason will find a dynamic leader who will continue to build on that tradition,” Rogers said.

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About George Mason �鶹����

George Mason �鶹���� is Virginia’s largest public research university. Among public universities, Mason is ranked No. 1 in Virginia and No. 7 in the nation for innovation, No. 1 in Virginia and No. 9 in the nation for diversity, and among America’s top 50 public universities for overall quality. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls nearly 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation, entrepreneurship and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at .