Former Missouri guard and Tennessee assistant coach Kim English was announced as George Mason’s 11th head men’s basketball coach Tuesday morning.

English has spent the past two seasons in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he helped Rick Barnes, himself a former George Mason coach, develop a defensive juggernaut. The Volunteers were a top-five defensive team throughout the season, and it was partly thanks to English.

The Baltimore native ranked among the best defenders in the country during his time in a Tiger jersey from 2008-12. He ranked in the nation’s top 15 in steals three times and the top 20 in defensive win shares twice during his career in the Big 12. English was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons and played 41 games in the NBA.

Now, he’ll get a shot as a head coach for the first time in his career. The Patriots, based in Fairfax, Virginia, were 13-9 this season, falling in the third round of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. They were an above-average defensive team, ranking 102nd in Division I.