RJ Hunter prepares for Thursday’s draft

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Who can forget the magical March Madness run of Ron Hunter and his son RJ at Georgia State this season.

The former IUPUI turned Panthers head basketball coach and his son, a former Pike standout, led the school to an NCAA tournament appearance and a tournament win over a third seeded Baylor.  Now those memorable moments are paying dividends in the form of draft stock; RJ is widely projected as a middle to late first round pick.

“The best part of it is now he can buy me dinner,” joked his dad Ron Hunter.

RJ spent Tuesday afternoon with the Washington Wizards in one final workout before Thursday’s NBA draft.  He’s visited several teams in pre-draft workouts including the Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors.

He was invited to New York City for the draft night, but he’s choosing to stay home and celebrate.

“We were going to go to New York as of a couple of days ago, but he talked about being with his friends and family and he’s actually got his teammates from Indianapolis who are going to come to Atlanta and we’re going to celebrate in Atlanta,” said the elder Hunter.  “I’m glad he did that, and that was his decision. But it’s going to be a fun night in Atlanta.”

It’s sure to be an emotional night for Coach Hunter, who’s watching his youngest move onto the next stage in his life.

“I’m nervous because I just lost a good player. I didn’t get him for four years,” joked Hunter.  “It’s kinda like when I lost George Hill. I didn’t know what to do after he left me. It’s a little bit different when it’s your kid. I’m happy for him. I’m excited for him. He’s earned this. I know from the little days that he was running around in his Pike uniform to Thursday night, it’s going to be a lot of memories.”