Georgia State Panthers men's basketball
The Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represents Georgia State University and competes in the Sun Belt Conference of NCAA Division I. The Panthers play at the Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Facilities GSU Convocation Center In 2018, GSU announced that the 8,000-seat Georgia State Convocation Center, hosting the men's and women's basketball teams, was being developed near the recently acquired Turner Field property. Ground was broken the same year, and the facility was completed in time for the 2022–23 season. The facility was officially opened on September 13, 2022 and seats 7,300 for basketball games, 7,500 for commencement ceremonies, and 8,000 for concerts. GSU Sports Arena The Panthers previously played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena, located at 125 Decatur Street in the heart of the Georgia State campus. The facility was originally built in 1972 as a student gym and classroom space for physical education classes. The arena has a capacity of 3,854. The basketball court was named the Charles "Lefty" Driesell Court in honor of the former Panthers men's basketball coach. After the 2014–15 season, the center-hanging scoreboard was replaced with a four-sided hanging video scoreboard. Plans were released in 2012 to renovate the arena to turn the court 90 degrees, allowing for the court to be completely surrounded by seating with a new capacity of 5,000. These plans have since been abandoned in favor of a brand-new arena adjacent to Georgia State Stadium, which was previously known as Turner Field. Practice Facility In March 2014, work was started on a practice facility for the team as part of an incentive package at the request of head coach Ron Hunter. In April 2016, the facility was completed, slightly under its initial $1 million budget. The facility was built using an unused aquatics facility, with the court being built over the swimming pool after being filled in with concrete and padding. The court is named for Patty Ferrer and Cathy Henson, whose families were the main contributors to the project. The facility is shared between the men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the indoor volleyball team. Coaches Prior to hiring Rob Lanier as head coach, the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team was led by interim coach, Travis Williams. Most recently, Williams served as an assistant coach under Ron Hunter. Before that, Williams led a successful playing career for the Panthers—totaling over 1,000 career points before graduating in 1995. He also formerly led GSU as an assistant coach under Charles "Lefty" Driesell. Bob Reinhart Coach Bob Reinhart led the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team from 1985 until 1994. His overall record at Georgia State was 107–148. He has the second-most wins in Georgia State history (107), and is first all-time in tenure (9 seasons); his winning percentage (.420) places him fourth all-time. When Reinhart took the head coaching job at Georgia State, the Panthers had just gone 2–26 the season prior. In his first season, the team finished with