The Benko Briefing
3/20/2023 2:30:00 PM | Baseball, Track & Field/XC, General, Men's Golf, Men's Basketball, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Women's Rifle, Women's Golf
AD addresses Eagle Nation in letter form
Eagle Nation,
What an incredible past several days for the Eagles! Last week started with us naming Charlie Henry our new head men's basketball coach. It culminated with our men's golf team winning the Schenkel Invitational and our baseball team securing a three-game sweep over South Alabama! What a great time to be an Eagle!
I want to thank our former head men's basketball coach Brian Burg for his dedication and leadership over the past three years. I saw firsthand how much Brian cared for our young men and prepared them for life after basketball. I know he will continue to impact many in his future endeavors profoundly.
We started our men's basketball head coach search by targeting a wide range of head and assistant coaches. After multiple conversations and interviews with several candidates, our search committee zeroed in on Alabama assistant coach Charlie Henry. It was evident throughout the search process that Charlie was well-regarded by virtually everyone in the sport. His experience over the past four years with No. 1-seeded Alabama, coupled with two years of coaching the Chicago Bulls and two years as the head coach of the D-League Windy City Bulls, uniquely prepared Charlie for our position. Our search committee found Charlie engaging and someone with an elite vision and a competitive edge.
I encourage you to watch his team continue its play in the NCAA Tournament this upcoming Friday at 6:30 p.m., against fifth-seeded San Diego State in the regional semifinal in Louisville, Kentucky. I look forward to you all meeting Charlie at his press conference as soon as the Crimson Tide conclude their season.
Last week we also announced two new additions to our Georgia Southern football coaching staff. After spending the past year in the same role at Buffalo, Brandon Bailey will assume defensive coordinator and linebacker responsibilities for the Eagles. Darius Eubanks joins Bailey on the defensive side of the ball and will coach our safeties and nickels. Both are Georgia Southern graduates who are considered by many in the industry to be two of the brightest young coaches in the country. I commend Coach Helton and the staff for facilitating a thorough yet efficient search. We have decided to push the start of spring football practice back a few days to accommodate the onboarding of our new staff members. Our Blue-White game will remain on April 22.
The Schenkel Invitational is one of my favorite spring events, as 13 schools from across the country arrive in Statesboro for an elite golf tournament. This year's field included five teams ranked in the top 50 nationally. Yesterday's tournament win was Georgia Southern's fourth Schenkel Invitational team title and second in a row. The 19th-ranked Eagles (-27) won by 11 strokes over No. 24 Mississippi State (-16), and senior Ben Carr birdied the 18th hole to shoot 8-under and take medalist honors. He is the fifth Eagle to win medalist honors. Mason Williams (T5), Wilson Andress (T7), and Parker Claxton (T7) joined Carr in the top 10. Hogan Ingram tied for 16th, giving all five Eagles in the lineup this week a top-20 finish. Speaking of Ben, everyone around here is excited to watch him tee it up at Augusta National in a few weeks at The Masters. What an honor it will be for Ben as he gets to participate in one of the most exclusive golf tournaments in the world! Expect to head quite a few "Hail Southern" and "GATA" cheers as Eagle Nation follows him around the grounds.
This time of year, we are hitting full stride across the department as we enter conference play in several sports. I am excited to share several updates:
- Baseball notched a three-game sweep of South Alabama on Sunday as the offense exploded for 26 runs over the course of the series. The Eagles return to play this Wednesday at Mercer University. The first pitch is 6 p.m.
- Women's basketball concluded its season last night in the Women's Basketball Invitation (WBI). The Anita Howard-led squad finished with a 21-10 record, their first 20-win season in 20 years.
- Rifle claimed the 2023 SoCon Title on March 5, securing back-to-back conference championships. Addy Burrow was named the Smallbore and Air Rifle Athlete of the Year and became only the second student-athlete in the program's nine-year history to compete at the NCAA Air Rifle Championships.
- Men's tennis (12-3) is on a nine-match winning streak after a 4-0 sweep over Georgia State this past Saturday. We are on the cusp of being ranked nationally.
- Women's tennis (10-3) notched its first Sun Belt Conference win of the season on Saturday with a 4-0 victory over Troy. The program earned its first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) NCAA Division I ranking in school history on Feb. 28 as it checked in at No. 74.
- Women's golf is currently No. 82 nationally and secured two tournament wins in February at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational and the Ford Invitational.
- Women's track & field secured its best Sun Belt Indoor Championships finish since 2015 after notching a fifth-place finish on Feb. 21. First-year head coach David Neville and staff continue to make huge strides as six Eagles earned Indoor All-Sun Belt team honors. The outdoor season just got started and we're already seeing records fall there, as well!
- Softball opened Sun Belt play this past weekend, securing a 3-1 win over ULM on Saturday. The team is already only two games shy this season of bettering its win total from last year.
We are hosting our third annual "Declare Your Major" event at the Georgia Southern Performing Arts Center tonight. This event will feature 88 sophomore student-athletes across eight colleges who will announce their major of study decision in front of their peers. This important declaration will have a lasting impact on the lives of all student-athletes as we continue to prepare them for success in life.
Football ticket sales are off to a strong start, and we are excited about our 2023 home schedule that was announced on Feb. 24! As a friendly reminder, the renewal deadline for season tickets and/or parking is March 31. Don't miss out on another exciting season in Paulson!
In closing, for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to strategically highlight three (3) things that individuals and companies can do to help us:
- Financially support the Athletic Foundation and the Erk Russell Fund
- Buy season tickets and create a home-field advantage
- Get others to do the same!
Our best days are ahead – thank you for your continued support!
Hail Southern! GATA!
Jared Benko
Players Mentioned
