BOSTON – Georgia Southern men's basketball coach Brian Burg has been named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award, CollegeInsider.com announced today. 

The Joe B. Hall Award is presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I college basketball and will be announced April 1.

Burg led Georgia Southern to a 13-win campaign in his first year, and the Eagles ranked fourth in the Sun Belt in scoring defense, first in turnovers forced and third in steals. Georgia Southern returned just five lettermen (two scholarship) to the 2020-21 roster, which was tied for the fourth least in the country, and the Eagles' nine newcomers were tied for the fourth-most in the country. All nine signed during the NCAA's moratorium on in-person recruiting because of COVID-19.

"It's an unbelievable honor to be included in the company of this great group of coaches," said Burg, "We have begun to establish our culture, which we will continue to fight for on a daily basis, and we look forward to using the spring, summer and fall to continue our development."

A longtime Kentucky assistant, Joe B. Hall was given the task of following the legendary Adolph Rupp at the school. In his first season, Hall finished 20-8, won the SEC and advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals. Hall coached the Wildcats from 1972 to 1985. He won two-thirds of his games (297-100), received four SEC Coach of the Year honors and won a National Championship in 1978. He also steered the program to two other Final Fours, won eight Southeastern Conference regular season championships and one Southeastern Conference tournament championship (1984).

John B. Hall Award Finalists
Isaac Brown, Wichita State
Brian Burg, Georgia Southern
Terrence Johnson, Texas State
Stan Johnson, Loyola Marymount
Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State
Mike Magpayo, UC Riverside
Jason Shay, ETSU
Takayo Siddle, UNCW