Georgia State is heading to the Big Dance, but Ron Hunter won’t be dancing anytime soon.
The Panthers head coach understandably was excited Sunday when his team bested Georgia Southern 38-36 to win the Sun Belt Conference title and earn an automatic NCAA tournament berth. After all, Georgia State had made it to the tourney just twice before, in 1991 and 2001.
Yet Hunter got a bit too rambunctious in the postgame celebration while jumping up and down and hugging his son, guard R.J. Hunter, and had to be helped off the floor.
According to reports, it was no minor injury.
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Somewhere, Bill Gramatica hangs his head knowingly.
Ironically enough, the Panthers’ leading scorer in the win was guard Kevin Ware, who suffered a horrific leg injury while playing for Louisville in the 2013 NCAA tournament. Ware transferred to Georgia State after the 2014 season, and it appears he’s brought the injury bug with him.
Hunter later returned to the court on crutches to help cut down the net after the victory, but it’s safe to say he’ll be taking it easy on the celebrations for a while.
Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images
