GaSouth hires Mark Byington as Men's BB Coach

[asu66]

Georgia Southern tabs Byington as men's basketball coach

Sports Network

Statesboro, GA – Georgia Southern has hired Mark Byington to lead the men's basketball team, the school announced on Monday.

Byington spent nine seasons with fellow Southern Conference foe College of Charleston, including seven as the team's top assistant. The former UNC Wilmington 1,000-point scorer also took over as the interim coach for Charleston from 2011-12 after coach Bobby Cremins took a leave of absence.

The Cougars went 7-4 in their final 11 contests of the season with Byington at the helm.

"Mark has the energy, the knowledge, the experience and the work ethic to elevate our men's basketball program to where we want it to be, which is competing for conference championships," director of athletics Tom Kleinlein said. "He rose to the top of a pool of a quality group of candidates as we conducted an exhaustive national search. What we found throughout the process is that Mark is the best fit for Georgia Southern University."

The Eagles finished 14-19 overall and went 7-11 in the SoCon this past season. The school fired former coach Charlton "C.Y." Young after four seasons after he compiled a 48-34 record with the Eagles, including a 26-46 mark in conference play.

Byington graduated from UNC Wilmington in 1998 and began his coaching career at Hargrave Military Academy in 2001-02 as an assistant. He then served as the director of basketball operations at Virginia two years later after holding the role of a graduate student manager with the Cavaliers the two years prior.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/04/0 ... z2Q6z8XU6a

[dlh71]

Others with more knowledge, correct me if I am wrong, but seems to be pretty soft hire to me.

[MountainMan]

Others with more knowledge, correct me if I am wrong, but seems to be pretty soft hire to me.

Compared to what? Our last hire??????

[asumike83]

Um... how could he have compiled a 48-34 record at GSU if he was 26-46 in conference? No way they'd fire a coach who was 14 games over .500 in his time in Statesboro. I'm assuming it is the overall record they listed wrong, not the SoCon.

[HkyMtneer]

Others with more knowledge, correct me if I am wrong, but seems to be pretty soft hire to me.

"Soft" in comparison to what? I don't know about you but I'll take a guy with 7 years of experience as lead assistant at a basketball school like CofC, under a guy like Cremins. Add in that 1.5 year stint as interim HC of the Cougars and to me it's a pretty decent hire, certainly better than hiring a guy with 1 years worth of experience as a non-lead assistant at a football school. Heck, I'd take Byington over a guy with that experience plus 2 years now as HC!

[asumike83]

Anyone recall how his 11-game tenure as interim HC at Charleston ended?

http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=320620232

Good thing we tuned him up for what's coming over the next few years!

[asu66]

Others with more knowledge, correct me if I am wrong, but seems to be pretty soft hire to me.

Byington was the other "finalist" for the vacant UNC-W position; but the only way he would have ever been offered the job would have been for the Seahawks to tell Buzzy they couldn't or wouldn't meet his salary and perks demands. As it happened, the UNC-by-the-Sea braintrust chose to go into hock as deeply as necessary to get "a buzz." The chancellor was hell-bent to sign MJ's buddy no matter the cost.

They'll be paying for that "buzz" long after he's gone.

[bcoach]

Others with more knowledge, correct me if I am wrong, but seems to be pretty soft hire to me.

Byington was the other "finalist" for the vacant UNC-W position; but the only way he would have ever been offered the job would have been for the Seahawks to tell Buzzy they couldn't or wouldn't meet his salary and perks demands. As it happened, the UNC-by-the-Sea braintrust chose to go into hock as deeply as necessary to get "a buzz." The chancellor was hell-bent to sign MJ's buddy no matter the cost.

They'll be paying for that "buzz" long after he's gone.

From what I have heard that is now X buddy

[asu66]

Others with more knowledge, correct me if I am wrong, but seems to be pretty soft hire to me.

Byington was the other "finalist" for the vacant UNC-W position; but the only way he would have ever been offered the job would have been for the Seahawks to tell Buzzy they couldn't or wouldn't meet his salary and perks demands. As it happened, the UNC-by-the-Sea braintrust chose to go into hock as deeply as necessary to get "a buzz." The chancellor was hell-bent to sign MJ's buddy no matter the cost.

They'll be paying for that "buzz" long after he's gone.

From what I have heard that is now X buddy

No surprise there. Buzz is a taker. MJ's probably sick to death of all the years of begging for jobs, private jet hops, Nike $$$$$ and free shoes.

[bcoach]

Others with more knowledge, correct me if I am wrong, but seems to be pretty soft hire to me.

Byington was the other "finalist" for the vacant UNC-W position; but the only way he would have ever been offered the job would have been for the Seahawks to tell Buzzy they couldn't or wouldn't meet his salary and perks demands. As it happened, the UNC-by-the-Sea braintrust chose to go into hock as deeply as necessary to get "a buzz." The chancellor was hell-bent to sign MJ's buddy no matter the cost.

They'll be paying for that "buzz" long after he's gone.

From what I have heard that is now X buddy

No surprise there. Buzz is a taker. MJ's probably sick to death of all the years of begging for jobs, private jet hops, Nike $$$$$ and free shoes.

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