Location Atlanta, Georgia Colors Blue and White Head coach Ron Hunter Conference Sun Belt Conference League Division I (NCAA) | Nickname Panthers Home Away Arena/Stadium GSU Sports Arena Division Division I (NCAA) | |
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University Georgia State University | ||
The Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represents Georgia State University and competes in the Sun Belt Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently led by head coach Ron Hunter. The Panthers play at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
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GSU Sports Arena
The Panthers play 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. The arena has a capacity of 3,854. After the 2014-15 season, the center-hanging scoreboard was replaced with a 4 sided hanging video scoreboard. 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.
Practice Facility
In March 2015, work was started on a practice facility for the team as part of an incentive package at the request of head coach Ron Hunter. In April of 2016, the facility was completed, slightly under its initial $1 million budget. The facility was built an unused aquatics facility, with the court being built over the swimming pool after being filled in with concrete and padding. The court is named for Patty Ferrer and Cathy Henson, who's families were the main contributors to the project. The facility is shared between the men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the indoor volleyball team.
Coaches
The Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team is currently coached by former IUPUI coach Ron Hunter. On March 21, 2011, President Mark P. Becker and Director of Athletics Cheryl L. Levick announced Hunter as the new head men's basketball coach at Georgia State University. Ron Hunter is a spokesman for Samaritans Feet, an organization that donates footwear to poverty stricken children. His involvement in this organization has led him to coach a number of games at IUPUI barefooted, a tradition continued in his career at Georgia State.
Bob Reinhart
Coach Bob Reinhart coached the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team from 1985 until 1994. In that time he managed 107 wins against 148 losses. He is the current leader at Georgia State in wins (107), tenure (9 seasons); his winning percentage (.420) places him 4th all-time. Reinhart, an Indiana native; spent his freshman college season at Kentucky Wesleyan College and then transferred to Indiana University and played basketball for Branch McCracken for two seasons at Indiana University. He was a high school teammate of All-American Roger Kaiser.
Reinhart was also named the Coach of the Year by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club in 1990-91, leading the Panthers (16-15) to their first NCAA Tourney and again in 1994, when the Panthers finished 13-14; ironically, Reinhart was fired after the 1994 season and was replaced by his assistant and former player, Carter Wilson.
"Lefty" Driesell era
Charles "Lefty" Driesell first began coaching the Georgia State men's basketball team beginning at the 1997-98 season and staying for 6 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 proceeded to the second round of the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
Rod Barnes
Coach Rod Barnes, former Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year (2001) winner, 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. Current coach Ron Hunter was hired to replace him.
Ron Hunter
After the departure of Rod Barnes, 17 year coach IUPUI Ron Hunter was hired to take over the team. Known for his affiliation with Samaritan's Feet, a charity that donates shoes to children, Hunter brought with his tradition of playing one game per season barefoot in an effort to raise awareness to his cause. Hunter inherited a team mostly put together by his predecessor, a lineup that had only managed 12 wins the previous season and finished with a 22-12 record, only the ninth winning season that the school had achieved since its inception in 1984. His son, R. J. Hunter remained in Indianapolis to finish his high school career with his mother while Hunter coached in Atlanta and was actively recruited the elder Hunter to play at Georgia State, where he committed over Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Iowa. R. J. would eventually go on to become the schools leading all time scorer while breaking many other records.
Coach Hunter became the third Georgia State coach to take the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament during the 2015 iteration of the event. After beating Georgia Southern in the 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. This attention resulted in a media firestorm after Coach Hunter fell off the rolling stool he was coaching from when his son hit the game winning three pointer to beat third seeded Baylor Bears. The Panthers would be eliminated from the tournament in the next round by Xavier.
NCAA Tournament results
Georgia State has been to the NCAA Tournament three times. Their combined record is 2–3.
NIT results
Georgia State has been to the National Invitation Tournament twice. Their record is 0–2.
CIT results
Georgia State has appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Their record is 1–1.
NBA players
School records
Records referenced from the Georgia State University