STATESBORO, Ga. --- He said hello while tears welled in his eyes. That's how much Charlton Young loves to be back at Georgia Southern.

He once wore pride and passion along with his basketball jersey at Hanner Fieldhouse. On Thursday, those intangibles exuded from his suit behind a podium in the Nessmith-Lane Continuing Education Building where he was introduced as the Eagles' new basketball coach.

"There may be better coaches in the country," Young said. "But there is not a better coach in the country to lead Georgia Southern University. I have blood, sweat and tears on that floor and I remember what (the program) was ... I'm going to fight, fight and fight until I get it back to that."

Young takes over for Jeff Price, who resigned March 30. The program won eight games last season, and NCAA officials are looking into allegations that led to the midseason suspensions of three players.

It's not the way Young remembers things at Georgia Southern. As a junior point guard in 1992, he led the Eagles to a Trans America Athletic Conference Tournament title before 4,543 screaming fans at Hanner Fieldhouse and a national television audience on ESPN.

"I remember seeing lines (outside Hanner Fieldhouse) and thinking, "What's going on? The building must be on fire,' " Young said.

Now he's here to recharge doubting players and a mostly lethargic community that views basketball as a sport nestled between football and spring football.

"Georgia Southern is getting a perfect fit for their school," Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said. "The fact that he went there, to me, is secondary. That's important, but he brings strength in player development and being able to relate to people. ... They're also getting a guy who can recruit from Atlanta to Miami, as well as anywhere in the nation."

Young, who will make more than Price's $99,000 salary, is the first black head coach of a major sport (baseball, basketball or football) at Georgia Southern.