LIVONIA, MICH. – Madonna Alumnus Charlie Henry, Jr., 2009 journalism and public relations, recently was named head coach of the men’s basketball program at Georgia Southern University. During an introductory press conference, attended by more than 150 fans and media, Georgia Southern’s Director of Athletics Jared Benko spoke about the hiring process and about how Henry’s name was a recurring theme throughout. Benko praised Coach Henry's elite basketball mind, progressive approach to game planning and style of play, and use of advanced analytics. He also commended Henry's high-character leadership, integrity, and incredible drive.
Joining Coach Henry at the news conference were his wife Teisha, son Nash, and daughter Dixie Grace. Henry expressed his excitement about being part of Georgia Southern’s rich basketball tradition. He shared his belief in the importance of the student-athlete college experience, and his commitment to building a program everyone can be proud of. “The effectiveness of the job we do won't consist exclusively of wins and losses,” Henry said. “… we're also going to evaluate what type of student-athletes we are producing for this University, … for the overall Statesboro community, and are they better for having spent time inside this program … ? ”
A native of Canton, Mich., Henry was in his fourth season as an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Alabama when he got the call from Georgia Southern. He 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.
Henry was a four-year member of the men’s basketball team at Madonna University (Mich.) and graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations. Henry spent the 2011-12 season with the Indiana Pacers as a video intern. In 2010-11, Henry was a graduate manager at Utah, assisting the video coordinator for the Runnin’ Utes. He earned his master’s degree in educational leadership and policy study from Iowa State in 2014.
