Ron Hunter (Georgia State)
Pros: Perhaps the story of this year’s NCAA Tournament, Ron Hunter is a dynamic personality who would quickly endear himself to Vol fans. He also has an extensive track record as a head coach. He helped guide IUPUI from NAIA to Division 1 and led the school to its only NCAA Tournament (2003). In four years at Georgia State, he’s an impressive 87–46 (.654) with two regular season championships and one conference tournament championship. Over his 21 year head coaching career, his teams have averaged more than 17 wins per season at historically tough places to win. Hunter has averaged 22 wins per season at Georgia State.
Cons: IUPUI was forced to vacate 18 basketball wins during his tenure due to NCAA violations. Hunter, notably, wasn’t implicated in the violations (which were attributed to an academic advisor) – but would that give Hart pause given recent events? He has just two NCAA Tournament appearances in 17 years as a Division 1 head coach. Could he best those numbers at a place with better facilities and resources but also better competition?
