ATLANTA-It was March 24^th, 2019, when the Georgia State men's basketball team lost to the Houston Cougars in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Less than 48 hours later, Ron Hunter announced on Twitter that he would be leaving the university for a new head coaching job at Tulane.

Malik Benlevi, who was a senior on the 2018-2019 roster, stated he didn't feel the change coming.

"I was shocked," said Benlevi. "Coach was talking about winning another Sun Belt Championship with the next group. I didn't think he would ever leave."

After two weeks of interviews and meetings with possible candidates, Georgia State President Mark Becker and Athletic Director Charlie Cobb found their guy. On April 5, 2019, Becker and Cobb announced that Rob Lanier would be the new coach of the men's basketball team.

A native of Buffalo, N.Y, Lanier began playing basketball in second grade. Following his high school career at Mt. St. Joseph's Academy, he played for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies where he earned several accolades throughout his career. He stated that memories from his childhood inspired his desire to coach.

"The most profound impact I felt in the game was my experience as a member of Masten Boys and Girls Club," said Lanier. "It was a special place where I learned the value of hard work, competition, and self-responsibility."

According to Lanier, he wouldn't have chosen GSU if those same principles weren't reflected in the individuals who hired him. 

"I loved the idea of Atlanta because there are incredible opportunities," said Lanier. "But that wouldn't have mattered had I not felt confident about having a shared vision for the program with the people I work for."

He knew coming into a winning program would be a challenge. GSU was coming off of back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles and three consecutive postseason appearances. This is also an program that that had shown to the best college basketball team in Georgia. However, high expectations didn't turn Lanier away from accepting the job.

"I looked at it as an opportunity to take a good program to great," said Lanier. "I want us to go further than the first round of the NCAA tournament. I want this program to be even bigger than before."

Sitting in one of Lanier's practices is intense. It's a constant battle amongst each player for loose balls, made baskets and being first to cross the baseline after a suicide sprint. During all of practice, no one is ever quiet. The players' echoes are bouncing off walls, shoes screeching on the gym floor at every direction, teammates clapping for more, coaches yelling to the top of their lungs and sweat dripping from the chins of working young men.

"Coach doesn't mess around when we step in between those lines," said redshirt senior Damon Wilson. "If we aren't going hard, we run. If a drill isn't done how he wants it, we run. He just pushes us to be our best."

High energy practices were something Lanier had been accustomed to during his time as an assistant coach at Tennessee. In his final season, the Vols appeared in the Sweet 16 at the 2019 NCAA Tournament. They were also ranked the No. 1 team in the country at one point. He expressed there was a consistent work ethic which led to the team's success.

"They would compete and go at each other every day in practice," said Lanier. "It wasn't shocking to me that they ended up with a 31-6 record."

His new squad is headed in the right direction for a similar outcome. This past season, the Panthers were one win away from 20 wins and were eligible to make another postseason tournament for the seventh consecutive year. The team finished the 2019-2020 as a top 50 program in the NCAA for multiple categories. They were ranked 23^rd in scoring offense, 42^nd in 3-point field goal percentage, 45^th in offensive rebounds per game, 31^st in turnovers forced, and 37^th in total steals.

Lanier is tough on his players in practices and games, but off the court he has a desire to connect with players beyond teaching them how to play ferocious full-court defense. Junior guard and all-conference selection Kane Williams noticed the care Lanier showed for him and his teammates from the first day they met.

"My first impression was that he was a very serious man with a winning attitude," said Williams. "But what was different about him is that he built relationships with all of us which I appreciate a lot," said Williams.

Although the season ended in a quarterfinal loss to Georgia Southern, Lanier stated that he was proud of the strides his team made throughout the year. With seven returning players for next years' squad, the Georgia State men's basketball team will continue their journey to prove they are still one of the best programs in the country.

This story was written by women's basketball player Jada Lewis who interned with the Georgia State Sports Communications office during the spring semester. Lewis could frequently be found watching men's basketball practice throughout the season and developed a great relationship with Coach Lanier.