The regular season ended with Georgia State hoisting the Sun Belt Championship trophy after finishing the regular season with a 17-1 conference record. It was fitting that the final victory came over Western Kentucky, which had been the top program in the Sun Belt Conference for so long. The Panthers took the Sun Belt by storm in their first season back in the conference after several years in the Atlantic Sun and Colonial Athletic Association.
TOURNEY TIME …
This weekend, the Panthers will look to continue their season by punching their ticket to the Big Dance with two victories in the Sun Belt Conference tournament. Coach Ron Hunter is looking to leave New Orleans this weekend with a matching trophy to the regular season title and the distinction of winning the regular season title and tournament title in his first season in the Sun Belt. Georgia State must win the tournament to ensure itself a bid to the Big Dance.
The Panthers have already run away with most of the postseason awards. Hunter walked away this week with Coach of the Year honors and his son, R.J., took home the Sun Belt Player of the Year award. Other honors for the Panthers included placing a player on each of the All-Sun Belt teams. Ryan Harrow found himself on the first-team with Hunter. Harrow, a Wal- ton graduate from nearby Marietta, finished the season averaging 17.2 points per game, just be- hind Hunter, who provided 18.5 points a contest.
Manny Atkins, one of the best three-point shooters in the country, ended the season av- eraging 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, good enough for second-team All-Sun Belt honors. On the third team is senior Devonta White. He averaged 11.8 points per game and tied for the team lead in assists with Harrow at 4.4 per game.
All of these honors and recognition show how great of a season this was for a basket- ball program with little history, but this team doesn’t want its season to be over. The Pan- thers are two wins away from getting back to a place that the school hasn’t been since 2001. State has one NCAA Tournament win in pro- gram history.
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