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Alabama Assistant Charlie Henry Named Georgia Southern Head Basketball Coach
Alabama basketball assistant coach Charlie Henry will be on the move as soon as the Crimson Tide's season comes to an end.
Tuesday afternoon, he named the next head coach at Georgia Southern, ending his four years in Tuscaloosa as soon as Alabama wraps up play in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
"I want to thank Dr. Kyle Marrero and the search committee of Jared Benko, Chris Davis, Reggie Simpkins and Leonard Bevill for entrusting me with the opportunity to lead the Georgia Southern basketball program," Henry said in a release. "Georgia Southern is a special institution with a beautiful campus, a passionate fan base, and is supported by the tight-knit Statesboro community.
"We will give maximum effort to ensure success in the extremely-competitive Sun Belt Conference, and our program will be a source of pride for the University and the region, both on and off the court. Hail Southern!"
Henry joined Nate Oats at Alabama in 2019, for his second stint with the head coach. The first was as an assistant at Romulus High School during the 2009-2010 season.
Henry was also the head coach of the Windy City Bulls, the NBA G League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, for two years. 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.
The two years before that, Henry was an assistant under Fred Hoiberg for the Chicago Bulls. He was also a member of Iowa State's staff that won two Big 12 Tournament titles and made three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Georgia Southern finished this past season 17-16 overall and 9-9 in conference play.
"I can't tell you how excited we are to welcome Charlie, his wife Teisha, son Nash, and daughter Dixie Grace to the Georgia Southern Family," Director of Athletics Jared Benko said while making the announcement. "From the outset, we were committed to finding the best coach and developer of young men to lead Georgia Southern to new heights.
"Charlie's name was frequently mentioned nationwide as one of college basketball's most elite minds and coaches. He has been instrumental in Alabama's success over the past four years, culminating with a No. 1 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. His two years as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls and his two years as the head coach of the NBA G League Windy City Bulls uniquely prepared Charlie for this role."
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 during the 2020-21 campaign. Led by SEC Defensive Player of the Year Herbert Jones, the first UA player ever to earn the honor, Alabama finished the year ranked No. 3 in the nation in defensive efficiency.
Something similar has occurred this season, as least statistically, as Alabama ranks third in the country in field goal percentage defense (.372), third in 3-point percentage defense (.281), first in rebounding (44.4/gm) and first in defensive rebounds (31.6 per game).
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.
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