Georgia State already taking full advantage of new practice facility

Georgia State Panthers head coach Ron Hunter shouts instructions in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against the Troy Trojans at the GSU Arena on Saturday, January 10, 2015. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Georgia State Panthers head coach Ron Hunter shouts instructions in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against the Troy Trojans at the GSU Arena on Saturday, January 10, 2015. HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM

Georgia State is getting used to a much-needed addition.

Thanks to donations from Brad and Patty Ferrer, Cathy Henson and Chris Carpenter, the Panthers were able to transform a former aquatics center into a new gym for the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the volleyball team.

This was a quite helpful for GSU, and coach Ron Hunter said he is ready to take full advantage of it.

“The practice facility is what I call a game-changer,” Hunter said.

Having a the extra space can be huge for the Panthers going forward. Hunter said it will be great for scheduling purposes as the Panthers will now not be limited to when they can practice, which will also make life easier for students when it comes to scheduling classes.

Along with making for easier scheduling, the players have 24-hour access to the facility, allowing them to get into the gym whenever they see fit. A spokseman for the team said he has already noticed guys coming in at all hours of the night to get some extra work.

“Our guys can come in 24/7 and be able to come in here and get shots up,” Hunter said. “We used to always have to go to Georgia Tech or another campus, to try and find a practice time.”

The players added that it’s a nice adjustment to be able to get some extra practice in whenever they have free time, compared to having to work around the schedules of other teams.

“Say if the volleyball team has a game, we can come down here and get extra work,” forward Willie Clayton said. “Or say if people are playing upstairs, we can come down here and get shots up. So I appreciate the donors and what they did for getting us an extra practice gym.”