Ron Hunter leaving IUPUI for Georgia State after 17 years with the Jags

[bbtds]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110320/SPORTS0607/110320009/Ron-Hunter-leaving-IUPUI-head-coaching-job-Georgia-St-?odyssey=mod

Hunter will be taking over a 12-19 Georgia State Panthers team that will be facing teams like VCU and George Mason in the Colonial Athletic Association. Good luck.

"Part of it is, I've been here 17 years and it's time," Hunter said after meeting with his IUPUI players. "When you look at what VCU and George Mason have done, it's the best mid-major league in the country in my opinion.

"It's an urban campus, just like IUPUI, and financially, it's a great package, something I couldn't say no to."

I'll never forget when IUPUI beat Valpo in Kansas City in the championship game of the Mid-Con Tourney in 2003 and Hunter went sliding across the Kemper Arena floor on his knees. They even had a bobble-head made capturing the moment.

[valporun]

Funny how Rabjahns says that IUPUI won the Summit League in 2003, when the league didn't exist by name yet. From the way Hunter made "it's time" sound, he made it sound like he was getting not real financial support for the program at IUPUI? I would agree that if you're getting a better deal from a better mid-major conference, you can't pass it up.  He's doing what is probably good for him financially, and with being in Atlanta now, he might get a major change in culture of support for Samaritan's Feet at the same time, whether the shoes go somewhere overseas, or they stay in Georgia. He'll get a big push for it there from the people of Atlanta.

[StlVUFan]

Funny how Rabjahns says that IUPUI won the Summit League in 2003, when the league didn't exist by name yet.

I think it might be a conscious choice, one that I can understand.  He's thinking no one remembers the name "Mid-Continent Conference" any more.  I think if I were writing about Valpo's reign in the conference today (for the Indy Star), I would have no qualms about saying the Crusaders were once perennial champions of The Summit League.  If I was writing for the NWI Times, that might be a different story because most of my interested readers regularly visit this place that has all these banners that say "Mid-Continent" on them.

[valpo84]

Hard to believe but our old friend Coach Hunter is heading to Georgia State. Not sure about that move. He might have had other better opportunities over the years, and even in the next few weeks, especially with all the changes that will start with big openings at NC State, Ga Tech and Tenn. Maybe though he needed to move out of the shadow of Butler, and the CAA seems to be the place to be, but the competition will be really tough there. At least in the Summit it was IUPUI, Oral and Oakland. I personally wish him the best of luck.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/14841560/iupuis-hunter-resigns-to-take-georgia-st-coach-job

[rlh]

Hunter tried like heck to turn his Mid-Con championship into a money maker at a bigger school, but it didn't work....Not sure this one is a step up, or the one he was looking for, but all the best to him.  He's fun to watch....

[bbtds]

http://www.georgiastatesports.com/HomePage.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12700&SPLASH_SET=YES

First interview at Georgia State for Ron Hunter.

[IndyValpo]

Hunter tried like heck to turn his Mid-Con championship into a money maker at a bigger school, but it didn't work....Not sure this one is a step up, or the one he was looking for, but all the best to him.  He's fun to watch....

Not sure this is a step up....where have you been in the last 2-3 weeks. He is going to the CAA from the Summit.  Think Valpo to the HL with 3 near Butler level teams.  The CAA put 5 teams in the post season, 3 in the NCAA plus one 20 win team who elected not to play in the CBI or CIT.  It is a big step up.  GSU has a lot of similarities to IUPUI but with the addition of football they appear willing to spend some money, something IUPUI did not.

[FWalum]

Congrats to Ron.  This is a huge step up, it will be interesting to see how he does in Atlanta. I am a little sad that this probably displaces one of my former players Scepter Brownlee, who was an assistant coach to Rod Barnes. 

[valporun]

I feel this is a huge step up for Ron Hunter. He was getting absolutely NO support from the IUPUI athletic department in their ONLY revenue sport. He was getting nothing from the administration on his return. Now he's going to a program that will give him a lot more support, and show encouragement for what he wants to do. Yes, Hunter did all he could to build on that NCAA tourney year, but the athletic department didn't give him any hope of even getting out of "The Jungle". Why would you want to continue building a Division I program that is in a big Midwestern city which is stuck in a gym that seats about as many as some small high schools have students? Without the help in recruiting budget or the promise of a new arena in 4-5 years, why would he want to recruit a lot of promising athletes to a school that doesn't want to support what he's done for that program in 17 years?

[milanmiracle]

I feel this is a huge step up for Ron Hunter. He was getting absolutely NO support from the IUPUI athletic department in their ONLY revenue sport. He was getting nothing from the administration on his return. Now he's going to a program that will give him a lot more support, and show encouragement for what he wants to do. Yes, Hunter did all he could to build on that NCAA tourney year, but the athletic department didn't give him any hope of even getting out of "The Jungle". Why would you want to continue building a Division I program that is in a big Midwestern city which is stuck in a gym that seats about as many as some small high schools have students? Without the help in recruiting budget or the promise of a new arena in 4-5 years, why would he want to recruit a lot of promising athletes to a school that doesn't want to support what he's done for that program in 17 years?

Yep, I agree. IUPUI completely dropped the ball on this one. Unless they promote the assistant coach (something Hunter recommended), this is going to be a big fall from grace. I really feel bad for Ron, as his university just didn't give him any support and didn't share the vision he had.

[covufan]

I think it is a move up - conference-wise, admin support-wise, and $$$-wise.  Since Lefty Driesell left Georgia St., they've only had one winning season.  The Georgia St. move to the CAA is a plus.  With the administration moving the football program to Division I-AA and hiring Bill Curry as their first coach, they are committed to big-time sports.  A school of 30,000 needs an identity.  Good move for Ron Hunter.