The Sports Inquirer

Release from Georgia State Athletics:

ATLANTA-Georgia State men’s basketball coach Ron Hunter talked about his excitement and enthusiasm for the upcoming season during the annual Sun Belt Conference Media Day on Wednesday.

Georgia State, the defending conference champions, return Sun Belt Player of the Year R.J. Hunter who was also selected to as the 2014-15 Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year along with preseason all-conference team members Ryan Harrow and Curtis Washington.

The Panthers were unanimously selected to win the league last week by the conference coaches in the annual preseason poll.

“We are excited to get the season going,” Hunter said. “We have a veteran basketball team that is hungry to make another run. I’m excited about the Sun Belt Conference as I think we have great players and great coaches in the league. I believe it is one of the most underrated conferences in the country.

“This might be the best defensive team I have had in all of my years as a head coach. The addition of Kevin Ware changed things. I loved our team last year. We were really good offensively, but it was also one of the worst defensive teams I have ever coached. The thing about that team was that they knew how to win and were really explosive. With our additions and work put in, I believe we have a very well-rounded team which could be capable of great things.”

Ware transferred to Georgia State following three seasons at Louisville. He was a member of the Cardinals’ run to a national championship in 2013 when he suffered a gruesome leg injury that made national headlines. He returns to Atlanta after playing at nearby Rockdale Country High School in Conyers, Ga.

“We have some older guys on the team,” Hunter said. “I think R.J. is the youngest guy in our projected starting five and he turned 21 just last week. We have some seniors and even fifth-year seniors who have been through some battles. The experiences that many of our players have been through will prove to be valuable as the season rolls on.”

Georgia State finished the 2013-14 season 25-9 and 17-1 in the Sun Belt, winning the league by five games. The 25 wins were the second most in school history and led the Panthers to a Postseason NIT bid.