Sun Belt Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

1. R. J. Hunter

Brought to Georgia State in 2012 by his father Ron, Hunter is a 6’6 combo guard from Indianapolis who had quite a legendary run with the Panthers. Georgia State still played in the CAA during his freshman season, but he helped them make a flawless transition into the Sun Belt starting in 2013.

For his sophomore season, Hunter was averaging 18.3 points per game while making nearly 40% of his long-range attempts. He actually led the Panthers to regular season titles in each of their first two years in the new conference, but junior year was the real headline. Hunter averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game and led Georgia State to the Sun Belt Tournament title. He had a slew of 30-point efforts late in the year but is most remembered for his game-winning last-second shot over Baylor in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, causing his father to fall off his stool on the sidelines.

In both seasons in the league, Hunter was named Sun Belt Player of the Year, establishing himself as an incredible gifted and talented basketball player in his father’s program. He was among the very best in the league in scoring, steals, and free throw shooting and clearly had a marvelous impact at Georgia State, getting the Panthers just their second Tournament win in program history. He left school after his junior year and was a late first round draft pick by the Boston Celtics.