Georgia Southern Extra: Brian Burg followed his passion to coach hoops, and it led him here

STATESBORO — Brian Burg wouldn't take a seat. The Georgia Southern men's basketball coach was on his feet the entire game, patrolling the sideline, shouting instructions and encouragement, getting as close to his players — and the referees — as possible within the rules.

"He's got a chair that has his name on it," Eagles guard/forward Gedi Juozapaitis said after the season-opening victory over Ball State at Hanner Fieldhouse. "I don't think he touched it once."

Burg is a very intense coach, his players say, and they like that about him.

"It's fun playing for him," senior guard Elijah McCadden said. "He's big on discipline. If you're not disciplined, he's going to get it out of you. He helps you grow on and off the court in that area of being disciplined and holding yourself accountable for the things you do."

"He's a great coach," senior guard Kamari Brown said. "I love playing for him. He's definitely big on discipline and winning. He wants to get the best out of you each and every day. He's going to push you every day to become a man off the court and play to the best of your ability. He wants to get everything out of you."

It's not a stretch to say that Burg asks of his players only what he demands of himself, to give complete effort every day in pursuit of excellence.

Perhaps it's also reasonable to conclude that Burg had toiled so many years in the business before he moved from an assistant's seat on the bench to be the head coach standing out front, that it's more than just his coaching style. He's going to be fully in the moment and doing all he can.

There are no shortcuts in Burg's game.

"We dream of these opportunities to become a head coach," said Burg, 41. "A guy like myself, I always say, gets one chance making the most of this opportunity. ... This is exactly where I wanted to be. I'm so fortunate to be here."

For more on Brian Burg's coaching journey, and on Georgia Southern athletics, go to https://www.savannahnow.com/sports/college/georgia-southern/

Follow Nathan Dominitz on Twitter @NathanDominitz

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Southern University men's basketball coach Brian Burg nomad