Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter said he will take 2-3 weeks to decide he if will make himself eligible for the NBA draft.
Hunter said he hasn’t put any thought into the decision because he was trying to enjoy the experience of making it to, and playing in, the NCAA Tournament. Despite 20 points from Hunter, the Panthers were beaten 75-67 by Xavier on Saturday in the third round. They finished the season 25-10.
“Nothing else is on my mind,” R.J. Hunter said.
Georgia State coach Ron Hunter, R.J.’s father, said the family will make the decision, and there will be a lot of factors.
R.J. is projected to be a late first-round pick. Only first-round picks receive guaranteed money, which may influence whether he returns.
“I know it’s not a foregone conclusion,” Ron Hunter said.
R.J. Hunter holds numerous school records and was the NCAA active leader for points scored (1,799), 3-pointers (250) and 3-point attempts (707) among juniors going into Saturday’s game. He was 10th among all active players in scoring average (18.4 points per game).
Harrow returns: Ryan Harrow didn't start, but played 19 minutes for Georgia State on Saturday. He finished with six points after playing only four minutes in the second half. It was his final game at Georgia State after transferring from Kentucky two seasons ago.
Harrow, a senior from Marietta who was averaging 18.7 points per game, said Friday that he wasn’t going to play. But he participated in Saturday morning’s practice. Harrow hasn’t played much in the past four games after straining his hamstring in the regular-season finale against Georgia Southern.
It was thought that Harrow would return within a week after sustaining the injury March 7. He tried to play in Georgia State’s next game, in the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament, but could barely move. He made another short appearance in the tournament finals. He didn’t dress Thursday for the victory over Baylor in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
He came in at 17:31 in the first half. His first contribution came on a steal that led to a Kevin Ware layup, and his first basket came on a 3-pointer that cut Georgia State’s deficit to four with 8:46 left.
Jalen Reynolds: The Panthers had a plan to try to limit Xavier's 6-foot-10, 270-pound center Matt Stainbrook. They were mostly successful as six of his nine points and all six of his rebounds came in the first half.
But they didn’t have as detailed a plan for Jalen Reynolds, and he took advantage to score a career-high 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Almost all of his shots came from within two feet of the basket.
“You can’t take everything away,” Ron Hunter said.
T.J. Shipes, one of three players who tried to defend Stainbrook, said his ability as a passer aided Reynolds.
Seniors gone: In addition to Harrow and possibly Hunter, the Panthers will lose starting guard Ryann Green and starting center Curtis Washington, who have used up their eligibility.
Washington averaged 5.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game going into Saturday. He scored eight points with three rebounds against Xavier.
Green averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game this season. He had two points Saturday after scoring a career-high 11 against Baylor. He has been a part of a school-record 87 wins, including 50 the past two seasons.
“We made history,” Green said. “We did something special for the school, for the city and for the community. For me to be a part of that is something I’ll never forget.”
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