Ron Hunter and Lewis Preston said they probably spent as much time being psychologists over the summer as they were being basketball coaches.
Hunter, who will begin his first season at Georgia State, and Preston, who will begin his first season at Kennesaw State, have been doing many of the things expected of coaches who are new to a university and an area: spending time selling their program to as many fans, recruits and people in the community as possible.
But they’ve also spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the players they inherited may not have filled their potential for their previous coach.
“I have a new couch in my office and I’m constantly saying, ‘Come and lay on the coach, let’s talk,’” Hunter said. “I’m constantly working on that instead of basketball.”
Hunter took over a team that went 12-19 last season. They defeated Virginia Commonwealth, which eventually made it to the Final Four, and then proceeded to lose 12 of its next 16 conference games.
Preston took over a squad that went 8-23. That team famously defeated Georgia Tech and then lost its next 10 games.
So, it’s understandable why there are some issues that must be worked out as regular-season practices start for both teams Friday.
However, both coaches are confident that they are slowly solving some of the mental and physical problems.
When he arrived, Preston said this team was cliquish. Hunter said the same, going so far to say that he has been told several times that last year’s team didn’t appear to like each other.
“Now, I would say more of a joint group, but we still need to work on that daily,” Preston said.
The coaches have used different tactics in an attempt to bring them together. Preston has assigned each player a partner and asked that the other partner tell the team as much as they can about that player. Hunter is using several different methods. He has made the players change roommates. He has made them attend at least one sporting event for each of Georgia State’s other teams as a bonding exercise, saying if his team doesn’t support those teams, why should they support his team?
“A lot of people think you have to change the culture outside the program. It’s inside,” Hunter said. “We compete at everything, free throws, whatever. The guys’ heads go down quicker than any kids I’ve seen. But we’re changing that.”
The mental issues weren’t all they inherited. Players on both teams were out of shape. Hunter wants to play a fast, pressing type of game. He said some of his players looked more like offensive linemen than basketball players. They have worked hard to slim down and gain strength.
Hunter has asked each player to write down what he eats during a week. Hunter then gives that information to a nutritionist, who grades their diet regimen. If a player receives less than a B, he has been held out of one of the off-season workouts.
Preston says many of his players are capable of playing different positions, which can create matchup issues for other teams. To do that, the players needed to be stronger and improve their endurance. Markeith Cummings, the Atlantic Sun preseason player of the year, said he’s in much better shape than last season, noting that Preston has brought a lot of structure to the team, on and off the court.
“It’s really different from last year,” he said. “We’ve put in a lot of work since June.”
As the players have improved physically, the coaches also have seen their skills improve. Hunter has made it clear that he wants an aggressive team. If a player makes a mistake, he shouldn’t look over at Hunter unless he wants to be pulled from the game. He said his players are about 80 percent of the way toward understanding what he wants.
Hunter is particularly excited about the potential of Brandon McGee, a 6-foot-6 forward, who Hunter says has the skills and attacking mindset to be one of the top five players in the Colonial Athletic Association.
“He could miss 10 shots, and he’ll still take that 11th,” Hunter said, which is important considering the Panthers want to shoot before 10 seconds are gone off the shot clock.
In addition to Cummings, several sophomores intrigue Preston: forwards Brandon Dawson and Andrew Osemhen, and guard Nick Turner.
“I don’t think fans got a chance to see a lot of those guys last year,” he said. “They will get a chance to see more this year.”
The easiest parts of the job have come off the court. Both coaches have been recruiting and selling their programs to people who are intrigued by the message.
Crediting Georgia State’s administration for the structure they put in place, Hunter said this is the first time in a long time that he gets to focus only on basketball. He no longer has to go door-to-door to sell tickets, which he has had to do at previous jobs.
Preston, a head coach for the first time, said the energy he receives as he’s out and about gives him even more passion to turn around the Owls’ program.
“I’m amazed at the pride and passion of people in the Cobb County community,” Preston said. “I want that passion in our basketball team. I want our basketball team to be a direct reflection of Cobb County and the surrounding counties. I think we are all intertwined here at KSU.”
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