While Ron Hunter is leading his team onto James Madison’s court on Tuesday, 530 miles away, his son, R.J. Hunter, will be honored before his last home game.
Though he has his son’s blessing, it will hurt Hunter not to be there physically. Thanks to Skype, he will at least get to watch the proceedings before he hits his own sideline.
He agonized for months whether he should be in Indianapolis, walking with his son, wife and his parents onto Pike High’s court for Senior Night. Seeing in R.J.’s eyes that he would he OK, he decided during a rare family dinner last month to stay with his Georgia State team. He said last week that he’s still not sure if he made the right decision, even though Georgia State still has a lot to play for: the Panthers (17-9, 9-6) could move a step closer to 20 wins and keep alive hopes of securing a top-four seed in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.
“For me, it’s a no-win situation,” Hunter said. “We could win Tuesday, and everything could go well. But it’s a lose-lose situation for me.”
It’s a big night for R.J. and his team as well. A 6-5 shooting guard who will play for his dad next year, he is averaging 20 points, six rebounds and five assists this season. His team is 12-5, and will host Hamilton Southeastern, one of their challengers for the state Class 4A title.
Hunter explored many options to figure out how he could be at his son’s game and then make it to his, including chartering a private plane. He sought the advice of former NFL coach Tony Dungy and other mentors.
After hosting Virginia Commonwealth in January, Hunter flew to Indianapolis and had the final sit-down with his son, asking him again what he wanted him to do. Hunter’s wife left it up to Hunter and R.J.
R.J., who sounds like his dad, talks just as fast and his has dry sense of humor, told him to stay, just like he’s done the previous “25 times” he asked.
“It’s a CAA game,” R.J. said. “They are in a tight spot. He’s in his first year there. If I were one of his players, I wouldn’t want him missing any of my games.”
Hunter will be there … sort of. He had a video produced that will be given to R.J. before the game. R.J. said, while has dad has attended many of his games, he’s usually on the road this time of the year. He knows he would be there if it were possible.
The family will get to be together this weekend because R.J. said he will be in town to watch Georgia State host Texas-San Antonio in the Bracketbuster game.
He will enroll in Georgia State later this year as a member of a heralded signing class put together by his father. R.J. said he’s never played for his dad before and is interested how the father-son dynamic will work on a college team.
It will be interesting. While Hunter repeatedly talks about how much he loves his players, he can be intense during games. Face-melting glares and foot-stomping reactions are common outburts at the slightest miscues. R.J. doesn’t seem intimidated; laughing about his dad’s reputation when compared to the best friend he had growing up. He said his dad actually broke his shin a few years ago because he stomped his foot too hard on a court.
The fact that they will see a lot of each other over the next few years also assuages some of the feelings both have about Tuesday.
“He’s done the best job of a dad as he can to come to all my games,” R.J. said. “It’s a big deal, but he’s trying to do the job. I’m not stressed over it.”
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