Georgia State Panthers | ||||
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University | Georgia State University | |||
Head coach | Jonas Hayes (3rd season) | |||
Conference | Sun Belt | |||
Location | Atlanta, Georgia | |||
Arena | Georgia State Convocation Center (capacity: 7,300) | |||
Nickname | Panthers | |||
Colors | Blue and white [1] | |||
Uniforms | ||||
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NCAA tournament round of 32 | ||||
2001, 2015 | ||||
NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
1991, 2001, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022 | ||||
Conference tournament champions | ||||
1991, 2001, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022 | ||||
Conference regular season champions | ||||
2000, 2001, 2002, 2014, 2015, 2019 | ||||
Conference division season champions | ||||
1998, 2021 |
The Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represents Georgia State University and competes in the Sun Belt Conference of NCAA Division I. The Panthers play at the Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
In 2018, GSU announced that the 8,000-seat Georgia State Convocation Center, hosting the men's and women's basketball teams, was being developed near the recently acquired Turner Field property. [2] Ground was broken the same year, and the facility was completed in time for the 2022–23 season. The 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) facility was officially opened on September 13, 2022 and seats 7,300 for basketball games, 7,500 for commencement ceremonies, and 8,000 for concerts. [3]
The Panthers previously played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena, located at 125 Decatur Street in the heart of the Georgia State campus. The facility was originally built in 1972 as a student gym and classroom space for physical education classes. [4] The arena has a capacity of 3,854. [5] The basketball court was named the Charles "Lefty" Driesell Court in honor of the former Panthers men's basketball coach. After the 2014–15 season, the center-hanging scoreboard was replaced with a four-sided hanging video scoreboard. [6] Plans were released in 2012 to renovate the arena to turn the court 90 degrees, allowing for the court to be completely surrounded by seating with a new capacity of 5,000. [7] These plans have since been abandoned in favor of a brand-new arena adjacent to Georgia State Stadium, which was previously known as Turner Field.
In March 2014, work was started on a practice facility for the team as part of an incentive package at the request of head coach Ron Hunter. [8]
In April 2016, the facility was completed, slightly under its initial $1 million budget. [9] The facility was built using an unused aquatics facility, with the court being built over the swimming pool after being filled in with concrete and padding. [8] The court is named for Patty Ferrer and Cathy Henson, whose families were the main contributors to the project. [10] The facility is shared between the men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the indoor volleyball team.
Prior to hiring Rob Lanier as head coach, the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team was led by interim coach, Travis Williams. Most recently, Williams served as an assistant coach under Ron Hunter. Before that, Williams led a successful playing career for the Panthers—totaling over 1,000 career points before graduating in 1995. He also formerly led GSU as an assistant coach under Charles "Lefty" Driesell. [11]
Coach Bob Reinhart led the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team from 1985 until 1994. His overall record at Georgia State was 107–148. He has the second-most wins in Georgia State history (107), and is first all-time in tenure (9 seasons); his winning percentage (.420) places him fourth all-time.
When Reinhart took the head coaching job at Georgia State, the Panthers had just gone 2–26 the season prior. In his first season, the team finished with 10 wins. In the 1990–91 season, Reinhart's team finished the regular season 13–14 before achieving a series of "firsts" for Georgia State in the conference tournament. GSU had never before won a game in the conference tournament, had never beaten Little Rock, and had been swept in the regular season by all three teams they would end up facing. The fifth-seed Panthers went on to beat Stetson, USTA and Little Rock to win their first Trans America Athletic Conference tournament title and earn the school's first NCAA tournament bid. [12] [13]
Reinhart was twice named Coach of the Year by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club. The first award came after the 1990–91 TAAC tournament championship season. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. [14]
Reinhart was fired after the 1993–94 season and was replaced by Carter Wilson, his assistant at GSU and former player and assistant at Decatur High School. [13]
Charles "Lefty" Driesell became the Panthers' head coach for the 1997–98 season and remained in that position for six years. He won 103 games and lost 59, giving a .636 win percentage. During his time coaching the Panthers, he won the 2000, 2001, and 2002 regular season conference title, the 2001 conference tournament, and advanced to the second round of the 2001 NCAA tournament.
After the 2017–18 season, Driesell was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. [15]
Coach Rod Barnes, former Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year (2001), coached the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team from 2007 until 2011. In that time, he managed 44 wins for 79 losses. At the end of the 2010–11 season, athletics director Cheryl Levick fired him with a year remaining on his contract.
On March 21, 2011, president Mark P. Becker and director of athletics Cheryl L. Levick announced Ron Hunter as the new head men's basketball coach at Georgia State University. [16] Previously, Hunter spent 17 years as head coach at IUPUI. [17] Known for his affiliation with Samaritan's Feet, a charity that donates shoes to children, Hunter brought with him a tradition of playing one game per season barefoot in an effort to raise awareness to his cause. [18] Hunter inherited a team mostly put together by his predecessor, a lineup that had only managed 12 wins the previous season. [19] With this team, he finished with a 22–12 record—which was just the ninth winning season the program had achieved since its inception in 1984. [20] His son, R. J. Hunter, remained in Indianapolis to finish his high school career with his mother while Hunter coached in Atlanta. R. J. was actively recruited the elder Hunter to play at Georgia State, where he committed over Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Iowa. [21] R. J. would eventually go on to become the school's all-time leading scorer while breaking many other offensive records. [22]
Coach Hunter became the third Georgia State coach to take the Panthers to the NCAA tournament during the 2015 iteration of the event. [23] After beating Georgia Southern in the SBC tournament, Coach Hunter tore his achilles tendon while running to his son R. J. Hunter in celebration, garnering attention from the media before their trip to the NCAA's. [24] Due to his injury, Hunter was forced to coach in the NCAA tournament from a rolling stool. After a dramatic comeback over the third seeded Baylor Bears capped by a deep three-pointer shot by his son, R. J., Coach Hunter fell off his stool in celebration. This resulted in a media firestorm resulting in multiple interviews, features, and a spot in "One Shining Moment" at the conclusion of the tournament. The Panthers would be eliminated from the tournament in the next round by Xavier.
After the 2018–2019 season, Ron Hunter had the most wins in Georgia State history (171) and guided GSU to six post-season berths in his eight seasons at the helm. Under Ron Hunter, GSU also won Sun Belt Conference titles in 4 of his last 6 seasons, which included regular season championships in 2014, 2015 and 2019 and tournament championships in 2015, 2018 and 2019. During Hunter's tenure, the program produced the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year three times: R. J. Hunter (2014, 2015) and D'Marcus Simonds (2018). Some of the most notable victories in Hunter's tenure included VCU, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Georgia and Alabama.
Rob Lanier, former associate head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, was hired as head coach of the Panthers on April 5, 2019. [25] His previous head coaching experience was with the Siena Saints, where he led the team to one NCAA Tournament appearance in four years, progressing through the First Four in the 2002 edition. [26]
Lanier's first season finished with a 19–13 record, but the Panthers fell to rival Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament. [27] The following season, Lanier led the Panthers to a victory over crosstown foe Georgia Tech, 123–120 in quadruple overtime. [28] The game was GSU's first win over an ACC opponent, and saw several program records set, including most points scored in a game. [29] The 2020–21 squad were ultimately crowned Sun Belt regular season champions, and reached the Sun Belt Conference tournament final, where they lost the championship game 80–73 to Appalachian State. [30]
Bringing back a senior-laden veteran roster, Lanier's third team at GSU was the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt Conference. [31] While the regular season league crown went to Texas State, GSU clinched the conference tournament title with a win over Louisiana in the tournament title game, securing an NCAA Tournament automatic bid—the Panthers' fourth in eight years. [32] [33] Drawing a 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, GSU were running number one overall seed Gonzaga close, trailing 62–58 with 10½ minutes remaining, before eventually falling to a 93–72 defeat. [34] Lanier left to take up the head coaching role at Southern Methodist University after GSU's elimination. [35]
On April 11, 2022, Jonas Hayes was officially introduced as Georgia State's men's basketball head coach. Hayes spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Xavier. [36] On March 16, 2022, Hayes was named interim head coach for Xavier, where he led the program to its first NIT championship in 64 years. Xavier's unexpected run in the NIT included wins over Florida, Vanderbilt, St. Bonaventure and Texas A&M. [37]
Hayes is well known in the Atlanta area, as he and his twin brother Jarvis were standout players at the University of Georgia from 2001 to 2004. Hayes helped lead the Bulldogs to appearances in the 2002 NCAA Tournament and the 2004 NIT. [36]
Throughout its years in the TAAC/Atlantic Sun, Colonial Athletic Association, and Sun Belt Conference, Georgia State has made it to the conference championship 10 times. Their combined record is 6–4.
Year | Seed | Opponent | Result |
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1991 | #5 | #6 Arkansas-Little Rock | W 80–60 |
1992 | #2 | #1 Georgia Southern | L 82–95 |
2001 | #1 | #2 Troy State | W 79-55 |
2002 | #1 | #3 Florida Atlantic | L 75-76 |
2014 | #1 | #3 Louisiana-Lafayette | L 81-82(OT) |
2015 | #1 | #2 Georgia Southern | W 38-36 |
2018 | #2 | #4 UT Arlington | W 74-61 |
2019 | #1 | #2 UT Arlington | W 73-64 |
2021 | #E1 | #E4 Appalachian State | L 73-80 |
2022 | #3 | #8 Louisiana | W 80-71 |
Georgia State has been to the NCAA tournament six times. Their combined record is 2–6.
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | #16 | First Round | #1 Arkansas | L 76–117 |
2001 | #11 | First Round Second Round | #6 Wisconsin #3 Maryland | W 50–49 L 60–79 |
2015 | #14 | Second Round Third Round | #3 Baylor #6 Xavier | W 57–56 L 67–75 |
2018 | #15 | First Round | #2 Cincinnati | L 53–68 |
2019 | #14 | First Round | #3 Houston | L 55–84 |
2022 | #16 | First Round | #1 Gonzaga | L 72–93 |
Georgia State has been to the National Invitation Tournament twice. Their combined record is 0–2.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
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2002 | Opening Round | Tennessee Tech | L 62–64 |
2014 | First Round | Clemson | L 66–78 |
Georgia State has appeared in two CollegeInsider.com Tournaments. Their combined record is 1–2.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
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2012 | First Round Second Round | Tennessee Tech Mercer | W 74–43 L 59–64 |
2017 | First Round | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | L 64–80 |
Georgia State and Georgia Southern have met off and on since 1972 with the only significant break in the series coming between 1996 and 2009. While Georgia Southern leads the all-time series, Georgia State has won more games in the last 10 years. Home court advantage typically plays a major factor in this rivalry as the home team won every game from 1996 until 2019 (did not play between 1996 and 2009). That streak was broken on March 9, 2019 when Georgia State defeated Georgia Southern in Statesboro in a de facto regular season conference championship game by a score of 90–85. Georgia Southern defeated Georgia State 79–70 on February 28, 2020 in Atlanta. This game snapped the home winning streak for Georgia State going back to 1992.
Georgia Southern holds a 38–26 series lead over the Panthers, but GSU has won 7 of the past 9 matchups, including three straight. GSU is 2–0 against Georgia Southern in the Sunbelt Conference tournament.
The Panthers and the Ragin' Cajuns have only met 19 times in the history of their programs, but the game quickly evolved into a heated rivalry shortly after Georgia State re-joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2013. [38] Since 2013, the Panthers and Cajuns have combined for three regular season SBC championships and three SBC tournament championships. Also since that time, GSU and ULL have led the conference in wins, respectively. Ron Hunter was 11–5 against Louisiana Coach, Bob Marlin, during his tenure with the Georgia State program. [39]
At the conclusion of the 2021–2022 season, Georgia State holds a 17–7 lead over the Ragin' Cajuns.
Georgia State and Troy have met off and on since 1952. They began to play each other regularly while both teams were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference until 2005 when both members left. The two became conference mates again in 2013 when Georgia State joined the Sun Belt Conference.
Under Coach Ron Hunter, the rivalry remained a competitive match-up as the Panthers were just 7–8 against the Trojans during that time period. In fact, since Georgia State rejoined the Sun Belt, Troy has proven to be the Achilles' heel for the Panthers as they are the only conference foe they have failed to secure a winning record against.
One of the most memorable games of the series came when the Trojans famously upset the Panthers 85–81 on February 15, 2014 in a nationally televised game. This game was notable because it not only ended Georgia State's 14 game winning streak (the longest in school history), but would be the only game to tarnish the Panthers' otherwise perfect conference record during the 2013–14 regular season in which they finished 17–1.
Another memorable moment in the rivalry came during the 2017 Sun Belt Conference tournament. At #2, the Panthers were the highest seeded team remaining in the tournament. With #1 seed UT-Arlington taking an early exit, the only teams standing between Georgia State and another berth in the NCAA tournament were #6 seed Troy and #4 Texas State. The Panthers had effectively secured the easiest path to the Championship and would be favored the rest of the way. At half-time, the Panthers held a 37–28 lead and appeared to be on their way to the conference finals. However, Troy ultimately seized the moment from the Panthers as they went on to win 74–63 in yet another shocking upset in the series.
At the conclusion of the 2021–22 season, Troy holds a 22–20 edge over the Panthers. [40]
Ronald Eugene Hunter is an American college basketball coach and the current men's basketball head coach of the Tulane University Green Wave. His son, R. J. Hunter, was a first-round NBA draft pick for the Boston Celtics.
The Georgia State Panthers are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Georgia State University, located in Atlanta, Georgia. All GSU teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS level as members of the Sun Belt Conference, a conference of which they were a charter member. Previously, GSU was a member of the CAA, and prior to that, the ASUN Conference.
The Georgia State Panthers football team is the college football program for Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Panthers football team was founded in 2010 and competes at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Panthers currently play at Center Parc Stadium, about ten minutes from GSU's downtown campus.
The Georgia State Panthers baseball team represents Georgia State University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team currently competes in the Sun Belt Conference. It first began competing there before moving to the TAAC, and the CAA. Beginning July 1, 2013, Georgia State returned to the Sun Belt Conference for all sports. The Panthers play their home games at Georgia State's Panthersville sports complex in the GSU Baseball Complex.
The Georgia State Panthers softball team represents Georgia State University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team currently competes in the Sun Belt Conference. It competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) prior to joining the CAA. The Panthers play their home games at Georgia State's Panthersville sports complex in the Bob Heck Softball Complex, and are currently coached by head coach Roger Kincaid.
The 2012–13 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter in his second season at GSU. They played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena and were members of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). This was their final year in the CAA before moving to the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 15–16, 10–8 in CAA play to finish in a tie for fifth place.
The 2013–14 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter serving his third season at GSU. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena competing as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 25–9, 17–1 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship, advancing to the championship game of the Sun Belt Conference tournament where they lost to Louisiana–Lafayette. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Clemson.
Ronald Jordan Hunter is an American professional basketball player for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. Hunter played college basketball for the Georgia State Panthers under the direction of his father and Georgia State head coach, Ron Hunter. There, he was twice named Sun Belt Player of the Year as well as the Sun Belt Conference Male Athlete of the Year. He holds the school record for most career points with a total of 1,819 after just three seasons of play.
The 2014–15 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter serving his fourth season at GSU. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena competing as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 25–10, 15–5 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship. They defeated Louisiana–Lafayette and Georgia Southern to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Baylor in the second round before losing in the third round to Xavier.
The 2015–16 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter in his fifth season. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena and competed as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 16–14, 9–11 in Sun Belt play to finish in sixth place. They lost in the first round of the Sun Belt tournament to Texas State
Ryan Harrow is an American professional basketball player. Harrow finished his NCAA college career with the Georgia State Panthers, and is regarded as one of the greatest Panther basketball players ever. He plays the point guard position.
The 2001 Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament was held February 28 – March 3 at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. This was the final tournament before the TAAC changed its name to its current moniker, the Atlantic Sun.
The 2016–17 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter who was in his sixth season at Georgia State. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 20–13, 12–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in second place. They defeated Louisiana–Lafayette in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Troy. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Texas A&M–Corpus Christi.
The 2017–18 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter, who was in his seventh season at Georgia State. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 24–11, 12–6 in Sun Belt play to finish the regular season in second place. The Panthers defeated Troy, Georgia Southern, and UT Arlington to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament. As a result, they received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 15 seed in the West region, they lost to Cincinnati in the first round.
D'Marcus Simonds is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for Georgia State. He was named the 2017–18 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year as well as the Georgia Men’s College Co-Player of the Year.
The 2018–19 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represents Georgia State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Ron Hunter, who coached his eighth and final season at Georgia State. The Panthers play their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Finishing with a 13–5 conference record, GSU won its third Sun Belt regular season championship in the last six years. The Panthers defeated Texas State, and UT Arlington to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament. As a result, they received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost to Houston in the first round.
The 2019–20 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Rob Lanier, who was coaching his first season at Georgia State. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 19–13, 12–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They were the No. 4 seed in the Sun Belt tournament, where they lost to Georgia Southern.
The 2020–21 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by second-year head coach Rob Lanier, played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference. With the creation of divisions to cut down on travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they played in the East Division.
The 2021–22 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by third-year head coach Rob Lanier, played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 18–11, 9–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in third place. They defeated Arkansas State, Appalachian State, and Louisiana to win the Sun Belt tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 16 seed in the West region. They lost in the first round to overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga.
The 2022–23 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by first-year head coach Jonas Hayes, played their home games at new the GSU Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia as members of the Sun Belt Conference.
Arena: GSU Sports Arena (3,854)