Georgia State Basketball has been a predictable force in the unpredictable world of the Sun Belt Conference. The 2018-19 season should be no different.
The Sun Belt Conference has had a history of being one of the more unpredictable mid-major conferences in the country. Despite that unpredictability, the Georgia State Panthers have been consistent over the last five years, relative to the rest of the conference. In 2018, the Panthers will have a big say in how the Sun Belt is decided.
Last season they finished 24-11 earning the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. After top-seeded Louisiana was upset in the semifinals, the Panthers earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Texas-Arlington in the finals. As a No. 15 seed, they got matched up with No. 2 Cincinnati, falling by 15 points.
Head coach Ron Hunter likes to have versatility in his lineups, as evidenced by the seven players that stand between 6-3 and 6-7 on last year’s roster.
The Panthers return five of their top-six point-getters from last season including all three double-digit scorers. The fourth-year duo of Jeff Thomas and Devin Mitchell poured in nearly 23 points per game while grabbing 6.8 rebounds. Also returning is 6-5 forward Malik Benlevi who poured in over nine points and 6.5 rebounds.
But the motor that makes the Panthers go is 6-3 guard D’Marcus Simonds. The Georgia native was the 196th ranked recruit in the class of 2016, who took the keys to the car last season, averaging 21.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals per contest.
Hunter’s recruiting class is headlined by two three-star Georgia natives. Nelson Phillips is a 6-5 shooting guard from Warner Robins who is an athletic and well-rounded guard on both ends of the floor. He led his team to the 5A State championship with a 21-point and six-rebound effort, earning him All-State first team honors. The Panthers’ other recruit also earned All-State honors, landing on the second team. Kavonte Ivery is a 6-6 forward from Stockbridge, who was a double-double machine averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds last season. Ivery chose the Panthers over the likes of Texas A&M and LSU.
The Panthers will be tested early in their schedule as they play in the Cayman Islands Classic with teams such as Clemson, Georgia, Creighton, Boise State and Illinois State.
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The Sun Belt may be unpredictable but Hunter’s team seems well positioned to make sure whoever wins the conference will have to fend off the Panthers again.