Fulfilling a dream he said he has had since the fifth grade, Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter is making himself eligible for the NBA draft.
“I know I can do more (at Georgia State), but at this point I feel like my time is up,” he said. “This team is so well off they don’t need me. It will be fun for them.”
The 6-foot-6 guard said he’s heard he could be picked anywhere from the middle of the first round to early in the second round. The draft will be held June 25 in New York.
Ron Hunter, R.J.’s father and Georgia State’s coach, said that in feedback he has received from NBA general managers, Hunter could go anywhere from No. 11 to 25 and that no one he spoke with indicated that his son should return to school.
Ron Hunter said how R.J. performs at the NBA combine in Chicago in May will determine his draft position, though he thinks it will be higher than projections. R.J. Hunter didn’t seem worried that he could drop into the second round. Only two other Georgia State players have been drafted.
“Either way, I’m going to have to work my way up,” he said. “At the end of the day, I have to prepare myself not for the first two years, but for a long career.”
Hunter led the Panthers into the third round of the NCAA tournament after averaging 19.7 points per game, the highest in his three-year career. His 30-foot 3-pointer with less than three seconds left sent Georgia State past Baylor in the second round. Hunter scored of 12 of his team’s final 13 points to secure that win, the school’s second ever in the NCAA tournament.
He is already the school’s all-time leading scorer and the two-time Sun Belt Conference player of the year.
“From a father’s perspective I couldn’t be happier,” Ron Hunter said. “He’s a great kid. All the things he’s receiving are so well deserved.”
Ron Hunter said he had a sense after talking to his son last Wednesday that he was going to go pro. R.J. Hunter said made up his mind while watching the NCAA tournament last week, realizing that he had given it his all on the college level. After being asked if Georgia State could make it to the NCAA tournament, he was suddenly being asked if the Panthers could make it to the Sweet 16.
“As long as we keep raising the expectations, that’s all right by me,” R.J. Hunter said. “That’s how I know it’s time go.”
He told father his decision at dinner on Sunday, which Ron said he had to pay for.
“The next dinner, you can believe he’s going to pay for,” Ron Hunter said.
The only thing the father wanted to assure was that his son knew he couldn’t waver if he wanted to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA.
R.J. Hunter told his teammates in a hastily called meeting in the locker room at the GSU Sports Arena on Monday morning.
“I broke down crying when I realized that I’ll never play with those guys again,” he said.
Ron Hunter, who after the NCAA tournament said he received “feelers” from other schools, said his son’s decision doesn’t affect his commitment to Georgia State.
“That’s the craziest thing I’ve heard all day,” he said.
With the decision made, R.J. Hunter said will begin working on the weaknesses in his game — ball-handling, defense and strength — in preparation for the combine.
Much of that work will likely take place in a facility determined by whichever agent R.J. Hunter signs with. R.J. Hunter also plans to complete his degree in human growth and development, so that he may one day hang his retired jersey in the corner of the Sports Arena.
“That means a lot to me; I’ve always wanted my 22 up there,” he said. “I’ve always felt like that space is there for me.”
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