Ron Hunter

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Ron Hunter

| image = Ron Hunter Georgia St.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| current_title = Head coach

| current_team = Tulane

| current_conference = The American

| current_record = {{winpct|89|89|record=y}}

| contract =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|4|7}}

| birth_place = Dayton, Ohio, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1982–1986

| player_team1 = Miami (OH)

| coach_years1 = 1987–1993

| coach_team1 = Milwaukee (assistant)

| coach_years2 = 1993–1994

| coach_team2 = Miami (OH) (assistant)

| coach_years3 = 1994–2011

| coach_team3 = IUPUI

| coach_years4 = 2011–2019

| coach_team4 = Georgia State

| coach_years5 = 2019–present

| coach_team5 = Tulane

| overall_record = {{winpct|534|403|record=y}}

| tournament_record = 1–4 (NCAA Division I)
0–1 (NIT)
1–1 (CBI)
1–2(CIT)
0–1 (CBC)

| championships = Summit League tournament (2003)
Summit League regular season (2006)
3 Sun Belt tournament (2015, 2018, 2019)
3 Sun Belt regular season (2014, 2015, 2019)

| awards = 2× Summit League Coach of the Year (2003, 2006)
Sun Belt Coach of the Year (2014)

| coaching_records =

}}

Ronald Eugene Hunter (born April 7, 1964) is an American college basketball coach and the men's basketball head coach of the Tulane University Green Wave. His son, R. J. Hunter, was a first-round NBA draft pick for the Boston Celtics.

High school

Hunter attended and played for Chaminade Julienne High School in Dayton, Ohio from 1978 to 1982.

Coaching career

=IUPUI=

From 1994 to 2011, Hunter served as the head coach at IUPUI.{{Cite web |last=Katz |first=Andy |author-link=Andy Katz |date=March 21, 2011 |title=Coach who shed shoes for charity changes jobs |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=6241679 |access-date=February 28, 2024 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} Under his direction, the team advanced from an NAIA program to NCAA Division I. In its third season as a Division I program, Hunter led IUPUI to its first, and thus far only, NCAA tournament appearance in 2003.

On January 24, 2008, Hunter coached a game against Oakland University while barefoot. He did this to benefit Samaritan's Feet, a foundation that works to provide hope and love to impoverished children around the world by washing their feet and giving them a new pair of shoes. His goal was to collect 40,000 shoes; however, before tip-off, over 110,000 pairs of shoes had been donated.{{cite web |date=January 23, 2008 |title=IUPUI coach will roam sidelines barefoot to help charity |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=3210742 |access-date=February 28, 2024 |publisher=ESPN}}

=Georgia State=

On March 21, 2011, it was announced Hunter would replace Rod Barnes as the Georgia State Panthers' men's basketball head coach. During his first season at GSU, Georgia State won 22 games, the fourth most in school history.

Hunter captured national attention for a moment that occurred in the 2015 NCAA tournament. After tearing his Achilles celebrating the Panthers' Sun Belt Conference tournament championship, he was forced to coach their subsequent NCAA appearance while sitting on a rolling stool due to his injury. In their second-round game against the three seed, Baylor, Hunter's son R. J. hit a deep, game-winning three with seconds left on the clock. When the shot went in, Hunter's stool slipped out from underneath him while exuberantly celebrating, sending him tumbling to the floor while continuing to display his jubilation. The moment spurred a torrent of media attention and resulted in multiple features, interviews, and a spot in 'One Shining Moment' at the conclusion of the tournament.{{cite news |last=Cooper |first=Sam |date=March 20, 2015 |title=Dramatic R. J. Hunter 3-pointer gives Georgia State upset over Baylor (Video) |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/dramatic-r-j--hunter-3-pointer-gives-georgia-state-upset-over-baylor--video-201128471.html |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=Yahoo Sports}}

On November 20, 2017, in a win over Eastern Washington, Hunter earned his 400th career win.{{cite web |last=Holmes |first=Mike |date=November 20, 2017 |title=Panthers Top EWU 68-50; Hunter Earns 400th Career Win |url=https://georgiastatesports.com/news/2017/11/20/211686556.aspx |access-date=February 28, 2024 |publisher=Georgia State University}}

Ron Hunter has played a key role in the ongoing transformation of the athletics culture at Georgia State, particularly with the basketball program and their continuing ascension from being one of the most unsuccessful programs in NCAA Division I history to being one of the premier Mid-Major programs in the nation. Some of Ron Hunter's most notable wins as head of coach of Georgia State are: VCU (2011),{{cite web |last=Holmes |first=Mike |date=January 4, 2012 |title=11 in a Row! GSU Earns First Win at VCU, 55-53 |url=https://georgiastatesports.com/news/2012/1/4/205356193.aspx |access-date=December 17, 2018 |website=GeorgiaStateSports.com}} #16 Baylor (2015), Georgia (2018){{cite web |last=Bradley |first=Mark |date=November 22, 2018 |title=Georgia State beats UGA by 24, and it was no upset |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/mark-bradley/georgia-state-beats-uga-and-was-upset/GTScx7omrBkHVl1VguxGeI |access-date=December 17, 2018 |publisher=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}} and Alabama (2018).{{cite web |date=December 6, 2018 |title=Georgia State scores dramatic upset of Alabama |url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/georgia-state-scores-dramatic-upset-alabama/tX2GzRCZK9TmSy42oBryQI |access-date=December 17, 2018 |publisher=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}} Hunter also notched a win against crosstown foe, Georgia Tech, in a 2017 charity exhibition known as the 'A-Town Showdown for Hurricane Relief'.{{cite web |date=October 28, 2017 |title=Panthers Top Tech 65-58 in 'A-Town Showdown' |url=https://georgiastatesports.com/sports/2017/10/28/211675545.aspx |access-date=February 28, 2024 |publisher=Georgia State University}}

=Tulane=

On March 24, 2019, Hunter was named the head coach at Tulane, replacing Mike Dunleavy.{{cite news |last=Bradley |first=Mark |date=March 24, 2019 |title=Ron Hunter says he's leaving Georgia State for Tulane |url=https://www.ajc.com/blog/mark-bradley/ron-hunter-says-leaving-georgia-state-for-tulane/rk8itjdP8fg6bWNcoZQ39H/ |access-date=March 24, 2019 |work=The Atlanta Journal–Constitution}}

Head coaching record

{{CBB Yearly Record Start

|type=coach

|conference=

|postseason=

|poll=no

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|

|name=IUPUI Jaguars

|startyear=1994

|conference=NAIA Independent

|endyear=1998

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 1994–95

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 16–13

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 1995–96

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 22–7

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 1996–97

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 16–11

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 1997–98

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 17–9

| conference =

| confstanding =

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|

|name=IUPUI Jaguars

|startyear=1998

|conference=Mid-Continent Conference/The Summit League

|endyear=2011

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 1998–99

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 11–16

| conference = 6–8

| confstanding = 6th

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 1999–00

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 7–21

| conference = 4–12

| confstanding = 8th

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2000–01

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 11–18

| conference = 6–10

| confstanding = 6th

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2001–02

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 15–15

| conference = 6–8

| confstanding = 6th

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference tournament

| season = 2002–03

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 20–14

| conference = 10–4

| confstanding = 2nd

| postseason = NCAA Division I Round of 64

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2003–04

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 3–11*

| conference = 2–6*

| confstanding = 2nd

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2004–05

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 16–13

| conference = 9–7

| confstanding = 4th

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| season = 2005–06

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 19–10

| conference = 13–3

| confstanding = T–1st

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2006–07

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 15–15

| conference = 7–7

| confstanding = 4th

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2007–08

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 26–7

| conference = 15–3

| confstanding = 2nd

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2008–09

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 16–14

| conference = 9–9

| confstanding = 4th

| postseason =

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2009–10

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 25–11

| conference = 15–3

| confstanding = 2nd

| postseason = CBI Quarterfinals

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2010–11

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 19–14

| conference = 12–6

| confstanding = 3rd

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = IUPUI

| overall = 274–219 ({{winpct|274|219}})

| confrecord = 114–86 ({{winpct|114|86}})

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|

|name=Georgia State Panthers

|startyear=2011

|conference=Colonial Athletic Association

|endyear=2013

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2011–12

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 22–12

| conference = 11–7

| confstanding = 5th

| postseason = CIT Second round

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2012–13

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 15–16

| conference = 10–8

| confstanding = 5th

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|

|name=Georgia State Panthers

|startyear=2013

|conference=Sun Belt Conference

|endyear=2019

|}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| season = 2013–14

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 25–9

| conference = 17–1

| confstanding = 1st

| postseason = NIT first round

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = confboth

| season = 2014–15

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 25–10

| conference = 15–5

| confstanding = 1st

| postseason = NCAA Division I Round of 32

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2015–16

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 16–14

| conference = 9–11

| confstanding = 6th

| postseason =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2016–17

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 20–13

| conference = 12–6

| confstanding = 2nd

| postseason = CIT first round

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference tournament

| season = 2017–18

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 24–11

| conference = 12–6

| confstanding = 2nd

| postseason = NCAA Division I Round of 64

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = confboth

| season = 2018–19

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 24–10

| conference = 13–5

| confstanding = 1st

| postseason = NCAA Division I Round of 64

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Georgia State

| overall = 171–95 ({{winpct|171|95}})

| confrecord = 99–49 ({{winpct|99|49}})

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Tulane Green Wave

| conference = American Athletic Conference

| startyear = 2019

| endyear =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2019–20

| name = Tulane

| overall = 12–18

| conference = 4–14

| confstanding = 12th

| postseason =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2020–21

| name = Tulane

| overall = 10–13

| conference = 4–12

| confstanding = 10th

| postseason =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2021–22

| name = Tulane

| overall = 14–15

| conference = 10–8

| confstanding = 5th

| postseason =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2022–23

| name = Tulane

| overall = 20–11

| conference = 12–6

| confstanding = 3rd

| postseason =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2023–24

| name = Tulane

| overall = 14–17

| conference = 5–13

| confstanding = T–10th

| postseason =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Entry

| season = 2024–25

| name = Tulane

| overall = 19–15

| conference = 12–6

| confstanding = 4th

| postseason = CBC First Round

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Tulane

| overall = {{winpct|89|89|record=y}}

| confrecord = {{winpct|47|59|record=y}}

}}

{{CBB Yearly Record End

|overall= {{winpct|534|403|record=y}}

}}

*18 wins (including 8 conference wins) vacated by NCAA{{Cite web |title=2014-15 MBB Record Book (.pdf) |url=https://iupuijags.com/documents/2014/12/3/2014_15_MBB_Record_Book.pdf |access-date=February 28, 2024 |website=IUPUI Athletics |language=en}}

Personal life

Hunter and his wife, Amy, have two children: Jasmine and Ronald (R. J.).

References

External links

[https://tulanegreenwave.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/ron-hunter/7620 Tulane coach bio]
[https://iupuijags.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/ron-hunter/173 IUPUI coach bio]

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{{Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}

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Category:1964 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen

Category:20th-century American sportsmen

Category:21st-century African-American people

Category:African-American basketball coaches

Category:American men's basketball coaches

Category:American men's basketball players

Category:Basketball coaches from Ohio