Georgia Southern will formally introduce new men's basketball head coach Charlie Henry Wednesday, March 29, during a 3 p.m. welcome event and press conference in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Open to the general public, the event will take place on the floor in Hanner Fieldhouse. Fans are encouraged to arrive by 3 p.m. to welcome Coach Henry to Hanner and the press conference will start at 3:30 p.m. General public and media attending the press conference will enter through the main entrance of the facility. Following media obligations, fans are encouraged to take the opportunity to visit with Henry during a brief meet-and-greet session.
Those unable to attend can watch the press conference live on the GSEagles.com (GSEagles.com/Watch), on the Georgia Southern Athletics YouTube Page (YouTube.com/GSAthletics) or on the Georgia Southern Athletics Facebook page (Facebook.com/GSAthletics).
Henry arrives in Statesboro after four seasons at Alabama and has over 10 years of coaching experience on three major levels of basketball – NBA, G League and Division I power-five schools – including stops at the Chicago Bulls, Windy City Bulls and Iowa State, among others.
He was a key cog in the Crimson Tide's success this year as they earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16. Alabama won the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles and finished the season with a 31-6 record. Henry's primary focus comes on the defensive side of the ball, where he helped turn the Crimson Tide into one of the top defensive teams in the nation. This season, Alabama ranks second in the country in field goal percentage defense (.371), fourth in 3-point percentage defense (.283), first in rebounding (44.7/gm) and first in defensive rebounds (31.6/gm).
Across his time at Alabama, Henry coached four NBA Draft picks, including a pair of NBA Lottery selections in Joshua Primo (Drafted No. 12 overall by San Antonio in 2021) and Kira Lewis Jr. (Drafted No. 13 overall by New Orleans in 2020). Jones was also selected in the 2021 NBA Draft, going to the New Orleans Pelicans with the fifth pick of the second round (No. 35 overall), and JD Davidson was selected in the second round in the 2022 draft (No. 53 overall). Current forward Brandon Miller is projected to be a lottery pick this season should he declare for the Draft.
Henry also played a significant role in helping sign three consecutive top-10 classes during his time in Tuscaloosa. The 2022 class was ranked third in the country by 247sports.com, the 2021 class was ranked No. 9 by 247sports and No. 10 by Rivals.com and the 2020 class was ranked No. 9 in the nation by Rivals.com and No. 12 by 247sports.com.
Henry went to Tuscaloosa after spending two seasons (2017-19) as the head coach of the Windy City Bulls, the NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls. During his final season, Henry led his team to a 27-23 (.540) overall record, earning a spot in the playoffs for the first time and its first winning record in the franchise's three-season history. While with Windy City, he coached second-team All-NBA G League honoree Walter Lemon Jr., who would be called up to the Chicago Bulls on March 29. Additionally, Jakarr Sampson earned the team's second call-up on March 31.
Before earning his first career stint as a head coach, Henry spent two seasons (2015-17) as an assistant for the Chicago Bulls under Fred Hoiberg. During his two years in the NBA, Henry's responsibilities included player development, opponent game preparation and implementation of offensive schemes, among other duties.
Men's basketball 2023-24 season ticket renewals and season ticket reservations will begin Wednesday and can be made by calling 800-GSU-WINS or emailing tickets@GeorgiaSouthern.edu.