ATLANTA-Just as after the 2019-20 season ended there were a lot of unknowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a lot of unknowns for the Georgia State men's basketball team before the start of the season.
The unknowns started last April with the hiring of Rob Lanier to lead the program. It continued into the spring as a new staff joined the Panther Family and right on into the summer months as a new offense and defense were installed as players and coaches learned to figure each other out.
However, on Nov. 6, when the balled tipped off on a new season, Georgia State continued to show why it has become one of the most consistent programs in the country. When the season ended five months later Georgia State had secured a seventh-straight winning season, fourth-straight year with 19 or more wins, and were postseason eligible once again – if only a postseason had been played.
After an opening the regular season with an easy home win, Georgia State embarked on a challenging stretch of three straight games on the road at College of Charleston, No. 2 Duke, and (rv) Georgetown. Although the Panthers didn't come away with any victories, the promise of leading both the Cougars and Hoyas in the second half, as well as being tied with the Blue Devils in the second half, showed it was only a matter of time.
That time came quickly as the Panthers rolled off seven-straight wins including a pair in California and the opening two games of Sun Belt Conference play. A team that some media publications had predicted to finish as low as No. 10 in the league was off to an 8-3 start and continued to make a name for itself on the national scene.
During the streak junior Kane Williams, who had earned All-Sun Belt Conference Preseason Second Team honors was named the 2K Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project Riverside Regional Tournament MVP, while redshirt-sophomore Justin Roberts earned all-tournament recognition.
The new year started in Boone, N.C., where freshman Jalen Thomas led the way to a 69-60 victory over Appalachian State. After a pair of close loses, the Panthers returned home to win three more in a row, including a 38-point victory over rival Louisiana.
For a second-straight season the Panthers dispatched Georgia Southern in Statesboro and midway through conference play it looked like Georgia State would be in the hunt to defend its Sun Belt Conference regular season title from a year earlier.
After a couple of tough losses to Troy and at Louisiana where the Panthers overcame a double-digit deficit, three more wins ensued, giving Georgia State an 18-9 record through mid-February.
Unfortunately, tough losses down the stretch wouldn't allow the Panthers to repeat as regular season champions, but a convincing 89-70 win over first place Little Rock in the regular season finale gave Georgia State the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament and the confidence of what was to come.
On Senior Day, the Panthers said goodbye to Damon Wilson and Chris Clerkley. Clerkley finished his career being a part of 87 wins in four years, tie for the most of any player in program history.
However, on a night like no one had ever seen, the season in multiple ways came to an end. Hosting No. 5-seed Georgia Southern on March 11, the Panthers dropped an 81-62 decision to the Eagles. What was expected to be a sold-out arena was about two-thirds full and just hours before the game, many wondered if there would be any fans in the comfy confines of Decatur Street.
Following the game, the NBA season would get put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and within the 24 hours after it, the sports world came to a halt – no conference tournaments, no NCAA Tournament, and no Final Four in Atlanta.
Although there would be honors and recognitions that came, a season that still deserved celebration for all that was accomplished, would nearly be forgotten. Sports became a secondary thought to those serving on the front lines to stop a virus that was crippling the world.
However, with the loss of just a pair of seniors and the welcoming of at least five newcomers, the hope and promise of the 2020-21 season dawned rather quickly. So, as we wait for sports to return, we hold the hope that one constant will return in November – Georgia State basketball winning games and continuing to make a name for itself among the best programs in the country.
