Providence Business Dean’s Symposium

Erin Batth was named head women’s basketball coach on March 20, 2023. She is the first Black female head coach in program history and one of 11 Black female head coach in BIG EAST Conference women’s basketball all-time. She will patrol the sidelines for a second season in 2024-25 after guiding Providence to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in 2023-24.

Batth came to Providence with 17 years of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level. She spent the 2022-23 season at Michigan, where she served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Wolverines. In her lone season in Ann Arbor, Batth helped guide Michigan to its 11^th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wolverines claimed a No. 6 seed in the tournament, equaling the second-best seed in program history. Michigan finished the season with a 23-10 overall record (11-7 Big Ten) and was ranked in the national polls for 19-consecutive weeks. Michigan was ranked as high as No. 12 during the 2022-23 campaign and checked in at No. 18 in the final poll heading into the NCAA Tournament. Michigan advanced to the Second Round, before falling to ninth-ranked and No. 3 seed LSU, 66-42, on March 19.

Prior to her arrival in Ann Arbor, Batth spent four seasons at NC State (2018-22), helping the Wolfpack to three-straight ACC Tournament titles for the first time in program history. In her four seasons, NC State compiled a 110-17 record, reached the NCAA Sweet 16 three times and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2022. Additionally, NC State finished inside the top-10 of the national rankings each of her four seasons with the program. Batth worked with the post players, including ACC Tournament MVP and All-American center Elissa Cunane. The 2021-22 team won a program-record 32 games and finished the year ranked No. 3 in the final Associated Press poll.

Prior to joining NC State, Batth was an assistant coach at Liberty (2017-18). The Lady Flames swept the Big South regular season and tournament titles and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. She worked with 2018 Big South Player of the Year Keyen Green and helped Liberty finished the season ranked No. 18 among NCAA Division I programs in rebounding margin (+8.4).

Batth also spent time at Georgia State (2014-17), Tennessee Tech (2012-14) and Towson (2010-12) as an assistant coach. She was the director of operations for Hall of Fame inductee Debbie Ryan at Virginia for three seasons (2007-10) after spending the 2006-07 season as an executive assistant to the general manager and operations specialist for both the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs. She began her coaching career as an assistant coach at VCU in 2004-05.

Batth played collegiately at Clemson and graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in management. She earned Second-Team Defensive All-America honors and All-ACC Second Team honors during her career. As a senior, she averaged 12.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and finished her impressive four-year career with 972 points, 722 rebounds and 116 blocked shots. She helped the Tigers to four-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, and helped Clemson advance to the Sweet 16 in 1999.

Off the court, Batth served as Clemson’s representative to the ACC Student-Athlete Academic Board, the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Board and was a Clemson Minority Council representative. Batth was nominated, twice, for the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership award, was recipient of the 2001 ACC “Top Six” community service award and was inducted to the Clemson Tiger Brotherhood.

Batth was the first player from Clemson drafted into the WNBA, going to the Cleveland Rockers in 2001. She played professionally with Panithnaikos and Appollon (in Greece) and Migros (in Turkey). Her WNBA experience also included time with the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Sacramento Monarchs.

Batth, a native of Marietta, Ga., has one daughter, Sierra, and will be joined in Friartown by her fiancé, Eric.

On March 23, 2023, Kim English became the 16th head coach at Providence College.  He came to Providence College after an impressive playing and coaching career.  His coaching career included positions at Tulsa, Colorado and Tennessee before serving two seasons as the head coach at George Mason.

“Kim English is the ideal choice to lead our men’s basketball program, and I am delighted to welcome him to the Providence College community,” Providence College President Father Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P., said. “He is a proven leader with an impressive record of commitment to the holistic development of student-athletes in programs that reflect his work ethic, integrity, and passion for excellence. Those characteristics reflect the ideals of Providence College, and I am excited for the future of Friar men’s basketball under Kim’s leadership.”

In his first season at Providence, he led the Friars to a 21-14 mark overall and a 10-10 record in BIG EAST play.  English became the first Friar head coach to win 20 games in his first season at PC.  The Friars earned six quad one victories and advanced to the NIT.  Junior Devin Carter became just the second Friar ever to be named BIG EAST Player of the Year and Josh Oduro was named All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.

Carter, who flourished in his first season under English, became the 44th Friar drafted all-time in the NBA when he was selected with the 13th pick in the 2024 Draft by the Sacremento Kings.  He also is the 12th Friar selected in the First Round of the NBA Draft and the third Friar selected as a Lottery Pick since its inception in 1985.

In two seasons as the head coach at George Mason, English has matched or set Atlantic 10 program bests.  During his second campaign in 2022-23, the Patriots matched program records for A-10 league victories (11) and A-10 Tournament seed (5).  George Mason won six-straight A-10 league contests for the first time in school history and seven-straight overall for first time since 2016-17. The Patriots reached the 20-win milestone for the first time since 2016-17.  Also in 2022-23, the Patriots set a school record for three-point field goal defense (.301, ranked 17th nationally) and also tallied their best scoring defense (67.3 ppg allowed) since 2012-13.

“I am extremely excited to welcome Kim English and his family to Friartown,” Providence College Athletics Director Steve Napolillo said.  “Today, we begin a new era in the proud history of Providence College basketball.  As I was looking for a new head coach, I consulted some of the most knowledgeable people in the game, including Mike Tranghese and Rick Barnes.  I wanted to find an individual who represented passion and integrity as well as the many other values of Providence College.  That led me to Kim.  Kim is known as one of the best recruiters in the country and he is a rising star in college basketball.  He has had success at every level of basketball as a player and a coach.  I look forward to our program reaching new heights and having the opportunity to work with him as my teammate for many years to come.”

English began his coaching career as an assistant under Frank Haith at the University of Tulsa in 2015.  He spent two seasons (2015-17)  at Tulsa before being hired by Tad Boyle as an assistant coach at Colorado, where he worked for two years (2017-19).  In 2019, former Friar Head Coach Rick Barnes brought English to Tennessee as an assistant coach.  He was an assistant coach in Knoxville until 2021 when he became the head coach at George Mason.

“I am beyond excited to be named head men’s basketball coach at Providence College,” English said. “I want to thank Father Sicard and Steve Napolillo for this incredible opportunity.  I want to be clear to everyone in Friartown, we are going to do great things at Providence College for a long time.  I know that this is a special place with amazing fans, a great tradition and support throughout the community.  We look forward to establishing new relationships with the players, the alums and the fans.  The work begins now!”

A four-year letterman under coaches Mike Anderson and Frank Haith at Missouri from 2008-12, English scored more than 1,500 points and averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the Tigers. He earned Third-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2010 and 2012, and Missouri won 107 games during his four-year career, making him and two teammates the winningest players in program history.  The Tigers won a school-record 31 games while making a run to the 2009 Elite Eight during English’s freshman campaign.  He averaged a career-best 14.5 points as a senior in 2011-12 and ranked fifth in the Big 12 with 78 three-point makes, while leading Missouri to 30 wins, one of two Big 12 Tournament titles during his career and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 Big 12 Tournament after averaging 23.0 points and shooting 78 percent during the Tigers’ championship run.

The Detroit Pistons selected English with the 44th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and he appeared in 41 games during the 2012-13 season.  He then spent two years playing professionally overseas and had a brief stint with the Chicago Bulls in 2014.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, English attended Randallstown High School and earned Baltimore Sun All-Metro honors, before playing his postgrad year at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass.

He earned his degree in general studies from Missouri in 2012.

English has two daughters, Celine and Ari.

On January, 26, 2022, Providence College President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard O.P., ’78, ’82G named Steven Napolillo ’98, as the College’s next vice president and director of athletics. Napolillo, who began his new position on July 1, 2022, also serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet. He replaced long-time Friar Athletics Director Bob Driscoll, who announced his retirement in January 2022 after serving the College for 21 years.

“Steve has demonstrated that he possesses the key qualities that drive success,” said Father Sicard. “I have witnessed firsthand Steve’s evolution as a leader over the past 18 years, and I am confident that he will continue to build and expand upon the legacy Bob Driscoll created and nurtured at Providence College during the past two decades.  Before being elected president in 2020, I was blessed to have served as executive vice president to PC President Father Brian J. Shanley from 2005-2020. I learned a great deal from him, and when I assumed my new role, was able to continue and build upon the legacy he left behind. I recognize the similarity that exists between Bob and Steve’s relationship. Such continuity of leadership allows for a seamless transition that ensures the ongoing success we have enjoyed under Bob’s leadership and encourages new opportunities. I am completely confident that Steve will oversee the PC athletic program with integrity, commitment and genuine passion for excellence.”

Napolillo began his career at PC in 2004 as an assistant athletic director, where he rose through the ranks to director of athletic development, then to associate athletic director for external relations, and finally senior associate athletic director/assistant vice president for external relations, a position he held from 2014-22. He also has held the position of men’s basketball administrator for three seasons.

His leadership efforts in revenue generation, which includes ticket sales and operations, licensing/branding/gear sales, have been monumental for the Friar Athletic Department.  In 2023-24, Napolillo led the Friars to new heights as the athletic department had a record year, raising an impressive $10.7 million in donations and bringing in $8.5 million in ticket sales. The men’s basketball program has sold out its season ticket allotment each of the last three seasons and currently has a waiting list of more than 1,400 accounts.

He has been able to accomplish this with the integration of the athletic departmental business intelligence efforts, that has included budget analysis, and streamlining departmental workflows.  In addition to the record-setting numbers in fundraising and ticket sales, the merchandising and licensing for the athletic department had a 300 percent increase in licensing revenue in 2023-24.

Another area that Napolillo has embraced is name, image and likeness.  He has ensured that Friar Athletics has been at the forefront of NIL since its inception.  He oversaw the athletic department partnering with Opendorse – an industry leader in solutions to help athletes and their supporters understand, build, protect, and monetize their brand value.  All of which is supported by the Friar Family Collective that was founded to create an avenue for Providence College student- athletes in assisting them to make positive contributions to businesses and our local communities, while receiving compensation and growing their respective brands.

Napolillo is highly respected amongst his peers nationally and within the BIG EAST.  In the Spring of 2024, he was named the chair of the BIG EAST Athletic Directors for 2024-25.

Continuing to raise the bar for Friar Athletics, Napolillo announced in August of 2024 that the College would be adding men’s and women’s golf teams, which will begin play in September 2025.  The Department will now sponsor 21 varsity teams.

During his tenure at PC, Napolillo has overseen many facets of athletics. He played an integral role in coaching searches resulting in the hiring of Head Women’s Soccer Coach Sam Lopes and Head Men’s Ice Hockey Coach Nate Leaman. In his first two years as athletic director he was tasked with hiring Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kim English, Women’s Basketball Head Coach Erin Batth, Lacrosse Head Coach Bobby Benson and Softball Head Coach Kelsey Christensen.

As a fundraiser, he played a decisive part in securing more than $75 million in gifts while supporting strategic decision making for additional capital projects on campus including the renovation of Schneider Arena and Alumni Hall, Anderson Stadium’s new soccer and lacrosse complex, the Ray Treacy Track and Field Complex and much more. He also worked closely with major gift donors as lead solicitor to secure a $10 million gift for the $30 million renovation of the Ruane Friar Development Center. The Friars Forever Athletic Fund, which was established to support 19 teams, was developed and led by Napolillo. He has overseen the PC Athletic marketing, ticketing, and development office for the last decade during which time sales doubled to reach over $5.3 million dollars in ticket sale revenue.

During the pandemic, Napolillo worked with senior staff and college teammates to help navigate PC Athletics through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to joining Providence College Athletics, Napolillo was director of merchandising and corporate sales for the Pawtucket Red Sox. He was a member of longtime Pawtucket Red Sox General Manager, the late Lou Schwechheimer’s, personal advisory board for his mission to bring baseball back to Cuba and AAA baseball to Wichita.

Napolillo credits Schwechheimer as being his first mentor. Commenting on Napolillo’s appointment, Lou’s widow Jane said, “Lou encouraged people to find their passion. Given Steve’s commitment and love of Providence College and sports, Lou would be overjoyed but not surprised that Steve has been given this great opportunity. I have no doubt that Lou is beaming knowing Steve will continue to be an asset and a leader to the Friar community for years to come.”

Napolillo earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1998 from Providence College and he completed a master’s degree program in sports management at Georgetown University in 2023. A 1994 graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School, he has been a member of A Wish Come True in Rhode Island for the past 21 years and a board member for the last four. Napolillo and his wife Bethany reside in North Kingstown, R.I. with their son, Drew, and daughter, Avery.