Georgia Southern men’s basketball coach Mark Byington announced today that Andrew Wilson has been promoted to Associate Head Coach.
“Andrew has been important to the building of our program, establishing our culture and success on the court and in the classroom,” said Byington. “He has continued to grow every year and cares deeply about our student-athletes and Georgia Southern University.”
Now in his seventh season, Wilson arrived in Statesboro with Byington prior to the 2013-14 campaign with the Eagles coming off their seventh consecutive losing season. He has been instrumental in the turnaround, which has seen the Eagles post back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in 30 years and saw Georgia Southern record the highest RPI in school history in 2018-19. He helped guide the 2016-17 squad to the program’s first postseason appearance since 2006, and the Eagles have finished in the top-3 in four of their five seasons in the Sun Belt.
Wilson has coached 11 all-conference selections, and the Eagles’ offense has steadily improved during his tenure on staff. Georgia Southern ranked fourth in the country in field goal percentage (.499) and 15th in scoring, averaging 82.6 points a game, in 2018-19. GS shot 50 percent or better in 17 contests, including the first five games of the year, and 60 percent or better three times and scored 80-plus points in 18 contests.
Georgia Southern student-athletes have excelled in the classroom as well – all of the program’s seniors have graduated during Wilson’s tenure.
“I’m extremely grateful to Coach Byington for this tremendous opportunity and recognition,” said Wilson. “He has built this program into a consistent championship contender in the Sun Belt and created a winning culture. Georgia Southern University, and our players are very special to my family and I. I look forward to continuing to serve our program and our student-athletes.”
Wilson attended the Jay Bilas Coaches Leadership Program in June of 2019. The program was designed to identify and develop up-and-coming coaches who have the potential to be Division I College Head Coaches. The four-day leadership program in Charlotte was limited to 12 coaches who have been recognized as rising stars in the profession as assistants.
Wilson spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Charleston under head coach Bobby Cremins before moving to Binghamton for the 2012-13 season. While at Charleston, he coached with Byington, and the duo helped lead the Cougars to an average of 22 wins a season and three postseason tournament appearances in six years.
A native of Kennesaw, Ga., Wilson played parts of six seasons at Florida State (2001-06), where he showed his mettle by rehabilitating from two devastating injuries to become the first player in the ACC to play in six different seasons. After enduring two medical hardships, Wilson became the school’s all-time leader in games played (129). As a senior co-captain in 2005-06, he helped the Seminoles advance to the second round of the NIT.
The Eagles return 68 percent of their scoring and 69 percent of their rebounding to the 2019-20 squad. Ike Smith, who received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to compete this season, enters the year ranked 13th on the school’s career Division I scoring list. He needs 21 points and eight rebounds to become the fifth Eagle with 1,500 career points and 500 boards. Quan Jackson, an All-Sun Belt selection a season ago, is back and enters his junior campaign 309 points shy of 1,000.
Wilson Elevated to Associate Head Coach at Georgia Southern
