The men’s basketball program has promoted two of its coaches and hired a new member of staff, Bice-Peace head coach Charlie Henry announced.
KENTE’ HART, ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH
Kente’ Hart, who has served as an assistant coach the last two seasons, has been promoted to associate head coach.
“It is truly a blessing and honor to be named Associate Head Coach for the Georgia Southern men’s basketball program,” Hart said. “My deepest gratitude goes to head coach Charlie Henry for his leadership, trust and mentorship. I’m excited to work alongside him and our staff to elevate our team and make Eagle Nation proud!”
Hart has been an instrumental part of the Eagles’ staff over the last two seasons under Henry, leading the team to an eight-win improvement from year one to year two and earning a Sun Belt Tournament victory in both years.
He brought over a decade of experience to Statesboro and had previous stops as an assistant coach at IU Indy, Florida SouthWestern and USC Upstate.
At Florida Southwestern, Hart helped guide the Bucs to multiple conference crowns and consistent appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament, including a fifth-place finish in 2019. That season, FSW earned the program’s first No. 1 national ranking and stayed atop the polls for the majority of the season. Hart helped 24 different players advance to the NCAA Division I level, including three who moved on to Power Five institutions.
Hart helped lead USC Upstate to postseason berths in four of six seasons from 2011-2017, including the Spartans’ first postseason win at the Division I level in the 2012 CIT with a victory over Kent State. The 2014-15 season saw USC Upstate rack up 24 wins, including Power Five wins over Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
During his career, Hart has recruited 16 student-athletes to the junior college level who later earned Division I scholarships. In addition, he helped develop future NBA players Torrey Craig (Phoenix Suns) and Keon Ellis (Sacramento Kings). Craig was the 2012 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year at USC Upstate and played professionally in Australia before signing an NBA contract with the Denver Nuggets in 2017. Ellis played at FSW before transferring to Alabama, where he played for Henry for two seasons.
GEORGE NEILSON, ASSISTANT COACH
George Neilson, the team’s previous director of basketball operations, will assume an assistant coach role going forward.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to work with Coach Henry as we look to build Georgia Southern into one of the premier basketball programs in the Sun Belt,” Neilson said. “I’m extremely thankful to Charlie, as well as our administration, for entrusting me with this opportunity. We will continue to work tirelessly to bring the Georgia Southern fanbase and the people of Statesboro the winner they deserve. Hail Southern!”
Neilson spent the previous two seasons working as the director of basketball operations, and was elevated to an assistant coach while retaining his operations duties in 2024-25, an integral part of the Georgia Southern staff.
He arrived in Statesboro by way of Texas Tech, where he spent two seasons as the director of scouting.
Neilson headed to Lubbock after spending the previous two seasons as the video coordinator at Cincinnati, following serving three seasons as director of men’s basketball operations at Santa Clara. He worked as the Tech video coordinator in his first season with the program.
Neilson assisted at Arizona State for two seasons as the video coordinator (2014-15) and a graduate assistant (2013-14). He earned a master’s degree in liberal studies from Arizona State in 2014.
Along with experience with collegiate programs, Neilson spent the 2015-16 season as basketball operations assistant with the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, creating personnel reports and video edits on opponents while assisting in player development workouts.
A Tuscaloosa, Alabama native, earned a degree in physical education from Alabama in 2011 while serving as a student manager his final two years. He worked as a volunteer assistant video coordinator with the Crimson Tide during the 2011-12 season and as a graduate assistant at Drake in 2012-13.
WILL ARNOLD, DIRECTOR OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS & ANALYTICS
In addition, Henry has announced that Will Arnold has been hired as the director of basketball operations & analytics.
Arnold spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant under Bryan Hodgson at Arkansas State and was a part of the team’s 2024-25 Sun Belt regular season championship. While there, he assisted in player skill development and participated in offensive and defensive scouting, among other duties.
“I am very excited to work with Coach Henry again, and I want to thank him for the opportunity to be a part of his coaching staff,” Arnold said. “I look forward to continuing the success he and his staff have built. Georgia Southern has great community support, and I am thrilled to be a part of the tradition they have established here.”
Before Arkansas State, Arnold was a student manager at the University of Alabama for Nate Oats, where he prepared live analytics and statistics and helped assist in player workouts and practices.
In 2021, Arnold was a part of Alabama’s regular season SEC championship and SEC tournament championship alongside Henry as the Crimson Tide advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
A native of Northport, Ala., Arnold earned his bachelor of science in hospitality and event management from Alabama and his master of science in sport administration from Arkansas State.
