Although Charlton Young has only been the head coach of the Georgia Southern basketball program for less than a month, he knows it was meant to be.

In fact, his father cemented that fact through a text message the week before he accepted the job and returned to the school where he played his college ball and got his degree.

His name reflects the fact that he was a born leader. Because Anthony Young was inspired by the leadership of Moses in the 1956 film “The Ten Commandments,” he named his son after actor Charlton Heston, who played the character on the big screen.

“After getting that text message from my father, it gave me a lot of comfort,” said the new GSU coach. “You know what? It is my time, and I can do this.”

He met the players after being introduced in a press conference on Thursday, April 9, and he knew right away that the guys on his team could play in his fast-paced offense.

“I think everybody in that locker room wants to be a winner,” said Young. “I think I’ve got to show them the way. I think all these guys can play up-tempo basketball. They want to play up-tempo basketball. I don’t think that transition will be difficult at all. We’re going to demand that they defend and rebound a little more then they have in the past, but we’re excited.”

After being forced into an eight-man rotation in the second half of the 2008-09 season due to three suspensions and the loss of leading-scorer Willie Powers to injury, the Eagles toned down the speed of their offensive attack to adapt to a half-court style and conserve energy. That could pay off, too.

“There will be times when we have to run a half-court offense,” Young said, “but the best time to score in basketball is when nobody’s down there. If you can defend, get turnovers and get easy baskets, the more of a chance you have to win ballgames consistently.”

Young also feels like the only way a younger player can improve his game is with plenty of minutes on the floor. As a freshman, GSU point guard Ben Drayton got a good bit of those filling in for Powers, who will return to the roster in the fall.

“I really like Ben,” Young said. “He and I have started texting during NBA games talking about Chris Paul and I’m trying to sell him on being our Chris Paul — a guy that pushes tempo. He’s like a pit bull in terms of defending the other team’s point guard. Ben is definitely a big-time Southern Conference player.”

Looking down the road, Young is excited about having the chance to recruit “championship people” to come play for him.

He can tell recruits first-hand the benefits of coming to Statesboro. It’s a lot easier than trying to sell them on a school he never attended.

“Sometimes,” said Young, “you go in and you sell a university as a coach, and the parents say, ‘Well where did you go to school?’

“‘Well, I didn’t go here, but it’s good for you.’

“It’s better to be able to say, ‘I’m telling you this is a great situation, because I made this decision and look what it’s done for me.’ I think that’s the most powerful testimony you can give.”

Once the recruit gets in the door, the work doesn’t stop there.

“Even the McDonald’s All-Americans with the recruiting levels at Georgia Tech and Auburn, you get a guy like Thaddeus Young who I was blessed to recruit, and you find out he can’t dribble with his right hand,” said Young. “Even guys at that level have to get better.”

Most guys at “that level” also play their games in modern, up-to-date facilities.

Young called Hanner Fieldhouse home when he played ball at GSU from 1990-93. It was built in 1955 and completed in 1969, and not a whole lot has changed.

With so many modern facilities springing up around the Southern Conference and the NCAA over the past few decades, Hanner seems out-dated.

Young feels the condition of Hanner didn’t matter when he and the 1992 Eagles packed out the gym, and one look up north tells him that it still doesn’t matter today.

“(Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium) is the same setting,” said Young about Hanner. “The only difference is people in the stands. Kids and big-time players want an atmosphere, and if we can create an atmosphere, we can recruit big-time players here at Georgia Southern University. I like this building and I like the intimidating factor it brings. We’ve got to get 4,500 in these seats and we’ve got to get an atmosphere. We’ll be able to get the top players in the south.”

Matt Yogus can be reached at (912) 489-9404.