Chemistry discovered at right time

With five transfer students on Georgia State’s men’s basketball team, coach Rod Barnes says it took some time for his new players to jell with the players already on his team.

“We’d just get into games and we weren’t playing well,” he said. “Honestly, it had a lot to do with chemistry.”

Barnes says it wasn’t that transfers brought baggage to the team, but that players weren’t sure of their roles.

It appears they are learning.

Winners of six of their past nine games, the Panthers enter the CAA tournament in Richmond as the eighth seed. Georgia State (11-19, 8-10 CAA) will play ninth seed Delaware (13-18, 6-12 CAA) in today’s first round.

“Guys are settling in; it’s a great thing to finish the year having fun,” Barnes said.

Through most of the year, preseason All-CAA guard Leonard Mendez struggled with his shot. It left the team without a go-to scoring threat. The senior averaged 16.1 points per game his junior year; this season he has averaged 8.8 points.

“We were in a shuffle of trying to figure out: Who is our guy? Who is going to help us?” Barnes said. “Now that we’ve settled in, those guys know what to expect.”

Other guards have made up the difference. Wake Forest junior transfer Joe Dukes stepped into the scoring role at point, averaging 12.3 points per game. Junior Trae Goldston added 11 per game, and South Florida transfer Dante Curry averages 7.5 points per game off the bench.

And Mendez is starting to find his shot —- he scored 27 in a win against Hofstra —- which has boosted the Panthers’ late-season stretch.

The timing works well.

“We’ve got an extreme amount of confidence,” Mendez said. “Everybody is clicking, on and off the court. We just want to continue this feeling.”

Georgia State split with Delaware this season. But the Blue Hens have dropped six of their past 10.

“We are going to the tournament feeling we can make some noise,” Barnes said.

NEXT FOR GEORGIA ST.

> Who: vs. Delaware (at CAA tournament in Richmond)

> When: Noon today

> Radio: 88.5 FM