The start of college basketball season is quickly approaching as several teams will tip off their 2018-19 seasons on Nov. 6.
But the Georgia State Panthers, the only team from the Peach State to appear in last year’s NCAA tournament, are giving their fans a free taste of hoops this Saturday in Decatur.
The Panthers, coached by Ron Hunter, will host an open scrimmage at 11:30 a.m. at Georgia State’s Perimeter Campus in Decatur. The scrimmage is free to attend and open to all fans. The venue they’ll be playing in is located at 3251 Panthersville Road in Decatur.
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Hunter’s Panthers won the Sun Belt Conference last season and made their second appearance in the NCAA tournament during Hunter’s tenure. The Panthers lost their opening March Madness game to No. 2-seeded Cincinnati, but they’re hoping to return to the big dance this season.
Georgia State returns a veteran roster that includes junior guard D’Marcus Simonds, the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and an AP All-American Selection. Simonds is projected by ESPN to be a first round pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
The Panthers also bring back Devin Mitchell, Malik Benlevi, Jeff Thomas and Jordan Tyson, while also welcoming Pitt transfer Damon Wilson to the squad. Mitchell, a 6-foot-4 guard from Suwanee, was an All-Sun Belt Third Team selection last season while shooting 44.7 percent from three-point land.
Georgia State enters the upcoming season as the most successful men’s college basketball program in Georgia over the last five years. The Panthers have won 110 games since the start of the 2013-14 season, the most of any Division I team in Georgia.
Hunter and his Panthers will begin their regular season at home on Nov. 6, hosting East Tennessee State University.
On Saturday, the Panthers will scrimmage in front of the public for about 90 minutes.
“I’m excited for our fans to get their first glance at our squad,” Hunter said in a statement. “We have had a great couple of weeks of practice to get things started.”
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