The Georgia Southern men’s basketball team officially has a new leader at the helm.
Charlie Henry was officially welcomed to Eagle Nation as the new coach of the university’s men’s basketball team on Wednesday afternoon.
“At Georgia Southern, we have a rich basketball tradition to live up to with greats like Tookie Brown, Michael Curry, who I spoke to this morning, and my guys see why, and legendary coaches like Coach Kerns,” said Henry. “Former players, this is your program. We are going to celebrate you and welcome you back with pride and admiration in our hearts. I personally look forward to working with Coach Backus, who I got to see earlier today, to help foster those relationships. We're going to work really, really hard to give you all, and especially our former players, a program that they can be proud of."
Henry, his wife, Teisha, son, Nash, and daughter, Dixie Grace, were introduced by GS director of athletics Jared Benko at a press conference event in Hanner Fieldhouse on March 29.
"We talked to people all throughout college basketball, professional basketball, scouts, you name it. We turned over every stone. And the one reoccurring theme that kept coming up was Charlie Henry, Charlie Henry, Charlie Henry. And so as we went through the process and really dove deep into Charlie and his background and utilizing analytics and talking to all types of people in the industry, he became a major candidate for us,” said Benko.
At the event, Henry expounded on his vision for the program.
“I still believe in the overall student-athlete college experience - young men leaving their families to become a part of my family, the Statesboro community, and to leave with a second home. The effectiveness of the job we do won't consist exclusively of wins and losses,” said Henry. “We don't run from the fact that we'll be evaluated by wins and losses, but we're also going to evaluate what type of student-athletes we are producing for this University, what type of contributors we are producing for the overall Statesboro community, and are they better for their time having spent inside this program and at Georgia Southern? Five, 10, 15 years down the road, are they good fathers and husbands? That's ultimately going to be the final count in our scorecard."
Henry is the 15th head coach in program history.
“I know that ultimately Charlie will be evaluated based on how our basketball program does, but if the last 48 hours are any indication, we could not have found a better fit for the Eagles,” added Benko. “I've heard from countless individuals about the impression he's already made on them. Charlie already is where college basketball is heading. And for the Eagles, that future is right now."
GS men's basketball season ticket renewals and season ticket reservations began on March 29 and can be made by calling 800-GSU-WINS or emailing tickets@GeorgiaSouthern.edu.
Pricing starts as low as $100 for general admission seating, upper reserved seats are $150 and lower reserved seats are $195.
Courtside seats are $550 with a minimum donation of $1,200 to the 2023-24 annual fund, and premium parking can be purchased for $100 with a minimum donation of $300 to the 2023-24 annual fund.
For more information, click here.