First-year Georgia State coach Jonas Hayes always gives his coaching predecessors credit for building the program’s solid foundation, starting with Lefty Driesell and including the school’s most recent architects Ron Hunter and Rob Lanier.
But in the next breath, Hayes will unfailingly say, “But the building that comes out of the ground may look completely different than what they had in mind.”
On Monday night, the first few bricks of that building – and the style of the new regime – will become visible when the Panthers host Coastal Georgia in the season opener and the official debut of the GSU Convocation Center.
The doubleheader begins at 5:30 p.m. when the GSU women play Agnes Scott, with the men’s game to follow at 8 p.m. The games can be seen on ESPN-Plus and heard locally on WRAS-FM 88.5.
Georgia State gave a sneak peek of the new regime at the new arena’s soft open when the Panthers defeated Morehouse 68-57. The Panthers, picked by the coaches to finish fifth in the Sun Belt Conference, displayed the infrastructure for what is expected to be another competitive team.
The Panthers will rely heavily on their three big-time transfers: Dwon Odom (Xavier), Brenden Tucker (College of Charleston) and Jamaine Mann (Vanderbilt). The trio combined for 43 points and 23 rebounds in the exhibition, with 20 of those from Tucker.
The Panthers also started Evan Johnson and center Edward Nnamoko, a 6-foot-10 freshman from Nigeria by way of Riviera Prep in Miami. Johnson has played 48 games over the last two seasons, can run the point and knock down the 3.
Also back is sturdy 6-8 sophomore Ja’Heim Hudson, who played 27 games and started 12 as a true freshman last season, and Collin Moore, a 6-4 guard, who missed the exhibition.
Other returners are Danny Stubbs, Kalik Brooks and Kaleb Scott. They all played in the exhibition, as did 6-8 Joe Jones III, who has missed the last two seasons with an injury. Jones played 32 games and made 23 starts as a freshman before getting hurt.
“The biggest takeaway is that we still have to continue to jell as a unit,” Hayes said. “There’s a lot of new parts. This whole thing is new to everyone, myself included, so we have to continue to be committed to playing together and playing the right way, and we’ll get that. It’s a work in progress, but I’m excited with where we are.”
GSU won the Sun Belt Championship last season and went to the NCAA Tournament, where it played a competitive game against No. 1 seed Gonzaga. But the Panthers graduated four starters off that team, and 6-9 forward Jalen Thomas transferred to Butler. That has opened the door for plenty of competition.
“So, I’ve been trying to work on our guys mentally as much as I have been trying to work with them physically because it’s a different approach when you take on added responsibility,” Hayes said. “And with every piece of adversity, it’s an opportunity. All of our guys have a phenomenal opportunity to be in a position that you always dreamed of being laid at your feet.”
While the Panthers may be a work in progress on offense when it comes to the rotation, Hayes promises a defensive style that he refers to as “nasty.”
“Every loose ball there is, we’re on it,” Hayes said. “Getting the offensive rebound, putbacks, getting the deflection, fighting through screens. That’s what it looks like to be nasty. And you don’t want people to want to play you. You want them to dread it when they see the Georgia State Panthers walking through the door.”
The GSU women, under fifth-year head coach Gene Hill, beat Emory 83-61 in their exhibition. The Panthers return Ashley Foster, who led the team in scoring (11-point average), assists and steals, and Kamryn Dziak, who led the team in 3-point shooting last season.
Georgia State was picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches poll. The women were 10-16 overall and 4-9 in the Sun Belt last season.
“We don’t have a problem with being seen as kind of an underdog because it gives us the motivation to prove some people wrong, and we can compete and move up the list,” Dziak said.
