Sidelines
Basketball
NEW HEAD COACH
New Georgia Southern basketball coach Brian Burg says his job is a “dream come true.” The former Texas Tech assistant coach was named head coach by new Director of Athletics Jared Benko. Burg spent four seasons with the Red Raiders and helped lead Texas Tech to the NCAA Championship Game in 2019. He was the program’s chief of staff his first two years in Lubbock. Burg, who is described as one of the nation’s top recruiters by his peers, brings nearly a decade of experience as an assistant coach at the Division-I level with stops at Campbell, North Carolina Central and at fellow Sun Belt school Little Rock under Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard in 2015-16. Burg marks the first big hire for Benko, and replaces Mark Byington who resigned as head coach to accept the same position at James Madison University in Virginia.
TEAM REACHES SUN BELT SEMIFINALS
Men’s basketball’s bid for the Sun Belt title was halted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Eagles advanced to their conference tournament semifinal round for the third straight season, the first time that has happened in program history. Georgia Southern also tallied 20-plus wins for the third straight season, a feat not accomplished since 1986-89.
Rifle
FRESHMAN TAKES TOP HONOR
Freshman Ashley Judson was named SoCon Co-Air Rifle Athlete of the Year for having the highest season average. It is the third straight year a Georgia Southern shooter has held the title of SoCon Air Rifle Athlete of the Year. In addition, Coach Sandra Worman was named the co-coach of the year in the conference for the second straight year. Georgia Southern hosted the two-day event in March at the Shooting Sports Education Center on the Statesboro Campus.
TRIO NAMED SCHOLASTIC ALL-AMERICANS
Three members of the Georgia Southern rifle team were honored for their work in the classroom during the academic year. The Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) named recent graduate Lydia Odlin and first-year students Lillian Herring and Ashley Judson CRCA Scholastic All-Americans for achieving a GPA of at least 3.20. This was the third year in a row Odlin was honored by the CRCA.
Football
TWO EAGLES MAKE NFL DRAFT
Two former Georgia Southern football players were selected on the final day of the 2020 NFL Draft. Cornerback Kindle Vildor went in the fifth round to the Chicago Bears as the 163rd overall pick and the Buffalo Bills selected kicker Tyler Bass as the No. 188 overall pick. The picks marked just the second time in program history the Eagles had two players taken in the same draft.
Vildor, a native of College Park, Georgia, is the 14th Georgia Southern football player to be taken in the NFL Draft. He was a two-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection and was named an All-American in 2018 by Pro Football Focus. For his career, he had 95 tackles, 24 pass break ups and 10 interceptions. Vildor participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and in the NFL Combine.
Bass, a native of Irmo, South Carolina, is the 15th Georgia Southern football player ever taken in the NFL Draft and the second kicker in program history to be selected. He was a two-time All-Sun Belt selection and was named an All-American in 2019 by Chris Sailer Kicking. Bass made 114 PATs and 54 field goals in his career with a long of 50 yards. As a senior, he set a new school record with 20 made field goals. He also participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and in the NFL Combine.