2018–19 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2018–19 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team represented Georgia State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The team's head coach was Ron Hunter , who coached his eighth and final season at Georgia State. The Panthers played their home games at the GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as a member of the Sun Belt Conference . Finishing with a 13–5 conference record, GSU won its third Sun Belt regular season championship in the last six years. The Panthers defeated Texas State , and UT Arlington to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament . As a result, they received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost to Houston in the first round.
Previous season
The Panthers finished the season 24–11, 12–6 in Sun Belt play to finish the regular season in second place. The Panthers defeated Troy , Georgia Southern , and UT Arlington to become champions of the Sun Belt tournament . As a result, they received the Sun Belt's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament . As the No. 15 seed in the West region, they lost to Cincinnati in the first round.
Offseason
Departures
Name
Number
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Notes
Nile Felton
0
G
6'3"
175
Sophomore
Atlanta, GA
Left team
Denis Alibegovic
10
G
6'2"
170
Freshman
Downers Grove, IL
Transferred out
Isaiah Williams
11
G
6'2"
170
Senior
Buford, GA
Graduated
Jordan Session
23
F
6'8"
225
Senior
McDonough, GA
Graduated
Incoming transfers
Name
Number
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Previous School
Corey Allen
NA
G
6'2"
215
Junior
Ypsilanti, MI
Detroit . Under NCAA transfer rules, Allen will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season, using a redshirt, leaving two years of eligibility remaining.
Justin Roberts
NA
G
5'10"
165
Sophomore
Indianapolis, IN
DePaul . Under NCAA transfer rules, Roberts will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season, using a redshirt, leaving three years of eligibility remaining.
2018 recruiting class
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Kavonte Ivery F
Stockbridge, GA
Stockbridge
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
230 lb (100 kg)
Sep 19, 2017
Star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : ESPN : ESPN grade: 78
Nelson Phillips G
Warner Robins, GA
Warner Robins
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Sep 22, 2017
Star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : N/A ESPN grade: N/A
James Wall F
Canton, GA
Creekview
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Sep 8, 2016
Star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN : N/A ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout : 93 Rivals : NA ESPN : NA
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
Roster
2018–19 Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F
0
Kavonte Ivery
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
Fr
Stockbridge
Stockbridge, GA
G
1
Damon Wilson
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Jr
Our Savior New American / Pittsburgh
New York, NY
G
2
Malik Benlevi (C)
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Sr
Jenkins
Savannah, GA
G
10
Nelson Phillips
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Fr
Warner Robins
Warner Robins, GA
G
12
Kane Williams
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
So
South Paulding
Douglasville, GA
F
14
Chris Clerkly
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Jr
Perry
Perry, GA
G
15
D'Marcus Simonds (C)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Jr
Gainesville
Gainesville, GA
F
20
Josh Linder
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
So
Veterans
Kathleen, GA
F
21
James Wall (W)
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Fr
Creekview
Canton, GA
G
24
Devin Mitchell
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
RS Sr
Collins Hill / Alabama
Suwanee, GA
F
30
Jeff Thomas
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
RS Sr
Norwalk
Norwalk, OH
G
35
Matt Chism (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
So
Dawson Christian Academy
Dawsonville, GA
F
50
Jordan Tyson
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
RS Sr
Walnut Hills / St. Bonaventure
Cincinnati, OH
G
NA
Corey Allen
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Jr
Ypsilanti / Detroit
Ypsilanti, MI
G
NA
Justin Roberts
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
So
Henderson International School / DePaul
Indianapolis, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Source[ 1]
Preseason
Junior D'Marcus Simonds named to Preseason Mid-Major All-American first team by NBC Sports .[ 2]
Georgia State was unanimously picked as conference preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference, receiving votes from all Sun Belt schools.[ 3]
D'Marcus Simonds was chosen as Preseason Player of the Year by the Sun Belt Conference.[ 3]
D'Marcus Simonds was chosen to the Sun Belt All-Conference Preseason First Team.[ 3]
Senior, Devin Mitchell, was chosen to the Sun Belt All-Conference Preseason Second Team.[ 3]
Regular season
The Panthers placed third in the Cayman Islands Classic after routing in-state rival Georgia by a score of 91–67.
GSU rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide , 83–80, in Tuscaloosa during non-conference play. As of February 22, 2019, GSU owns more SEC wins than UGA (1) and Vanderbilt (0) and as many as Missouri (2).
Against Troy on February 13, Simonds became Georgia State's all-time leader in career made field goals.[ 4]
Seniors, Jeff Thomas and Devin Mitchell each hit their career 200th 3-pointers in the same game at Appalachian State on February 21.[ 5]
On March 9, Georgia State completed a season sweep of in-state rival Georgia Southern, marking the rivalry's first away win since 1996. With the victory, the Panthers clinched their third Sun Belt regular season championship in six years.
Junior, D'Marcus Simonds was selected as All-Conference First Team.[ 6]
Post-season
Senior, Malik Benveli was named Most Outstanding Player in the Sun Belt tournament .
D'Marcus Simonds and Kane Williams were both named to the SBC All-Tournament Team.[ 7]
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2018 *7:00 pm
Georgia College
W 78–58
26 – Benlevi
9 – Thomas
5 – Tied
GSU Sports Arena Atlanta, GA
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018 *7:00 pm, ESPN+
ETSU
W 74–68
1–0
26 – Thomas
11 – Wilson
3 – Thomas
GSU Sports Arena (1,688)Atlanta, GA
November 9, 2018 *9:00 pm
at Montana
L 74–81
1–1
30 – Simonds
7 – Tied
5 – Williams
Dahlberg Arena (4,321)Missoula, MT
November 13, 2018 *7:00 pm, ESPN+
Mercer
W 62–60
2–1
30 – Thomas
6 – Simonds
5 – Thomas
GSU Sports Arena (1,579)Atlanta, GA
November 19, 2018 *5:00 pm, Stadium
vs. St. Bonaventure Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals
W 62–60
3–1
25 – Simonds
9 – Phillips
6 – Williams
John Gray Gymnasium (780)George Town, Cayman Islands
November 20, 2018 *7:30pm, Stadium
vs. Creighton Cayman Islands Classic semifinals
L 68–93
3–2
21 – Simonds
6 – Tied
2 – Thomas
John Gray Gymnasium (1,558)Georgetown, Cayman Islands
November 21, 2018 *4:00pm, Stadium
vs. Georgia Cayman Islands Classic 3rd place game
W 91–67
4–2
24 – Benlevi
7 – Benlevi
8 – Simonds
John Gray Gymnasium (781)Georgetown, Cayman Islands
November 28, 2018 *1:00 pm
at Tulane
W 80–76
5–2
25 – Benlevi
7 – Thomas
5 – Tied
Devlin Fieldhouse (1,450)New Orleans, LA
December 1, 2018 *6:00 pm, ESPN+
at Liberty
L 52–78
5-3
22 – Simonds
6 – Wilson
5 – Simonds
Vines Center (2,966)Lynchburg, VA
December 4, 2018 *8:00 pm, SEC+
at Alabama
W 83–80
6–3
23 – Simonds
8 – Benlevi
5 – Williams
Coleman Coliseum (9,076)Tuscaloosa, AL
December 12, 2018 *7:00 pm, ESPN+
Chattanooga
W 95–88
7–3
24 – Simonds
6 – Simonds
5 – Simonds
GSU Sports Arena (3,854)Atlanta, GA
December 15, 2018 *8:00 PM, FSN
at No. 25 Kansas State
L 59–71
7–4
13 – Thomas
6 – Tyson
3 – Simonds
Bramlage Coliseum (9,563)Manhattan, KS
December 19, 2018 *7:00 pm, ESPN+
UNCW
W 86–71
8–4
23 – Mitchell
9 – Simonds
7 – Simonds
GSU Sports Arena (1,324)Atlanta, GA
December 29, 2018 *1:00 pm, ESPN+
Middle Georgia State
W 117–69
9–4
21 – Mitchell
7 – Thomas
6 – Thomas
GSU Sports Arena (1,373)Atlanta, GA
Sun Belt Conference regular season
January 3, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN+
at UT Arlington
W 63–58
10–4 (1–0)
15 – Simonds
6 – Thomas
4 – Williams
College Park Center (1,425)Arlington, TX
January 5, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN+
at Texas State
W 73–69
11–4 (2–0)
22 – Benlevi
12 – Simonds
4 – Tied
Strahan Coliseum (1,437)San Marcos, TX
January 10, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Louisiana
W 89–76
12–4 (3–0)
21 – Simonds
9 – Benlevi
6 – Tied
GSU Sports Arena (1,211)Atlanta, GA
January 12, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+
ULM
W 74–73
13–4 (4–0)
24 – Simonds
8 – Phillips
5 – Williams
GSU Sports Arena (1,566)Atlanta, GA
January 17, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN+
at South Alabama
W 69–66
14–4 (5–0)
18 – Simonds
9 – Tied
6 – Simonds
Mitchell Center (1,985)Mobile, AL
January 19, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN+
at Troy
L 75–77
14–5 (5–1)
28 – Simonds
9 – Simonds
4 – Simonds
Trojan Arena (3,117)Troy, AL
January 24, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Texas State
L 68–81
14–6 (5–2)
20 – Mitchell
7 – Thomas
5 – Simonds
GSU Sports Arena (1,984)Atlanta, GA
January 26, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+
UT Arlington
W 77–71
15–6 (6–2)
27 – Thomas
7 – Wilson
5 – Williams
GSU Sports Arena (1,669)Atlanta, GA
February 2, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+
Georgia Southern Modern Day Hate
W 81–71
16–6 (7–2)
29 – Simonds
8 – Tyson
4 – Williams
GSU Sports Arena (3,854)Atlanta, GA
February 6, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPN+
at ULM
L 76–82
16–7 (7–3)
18 – Simonds
6 – Benlevi
6 – Simonds
Fant–Ewing Coliseum (2,391)Monroe, LA
February 8, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPN2
at Louisiana
L 72–76
16–8 (7–4)
21 – Mitchell
6 – Tied
4 – Williams
Cajundome (4,814)Lafayette, LA
February 13, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Troy
W 77–63
17–8 (8–4)
27 – Simonds
7 – Tied
6 – Simonds
GSU Sports Arena (1,426)Atlanta, GA
February 16, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+
South Alabama
W 90–81
18–8 (9–4)
26 – Benlevi
7 – Tied
6 – Williams
GSU Sports Arena (1,531)Atlanta, GA
February 21, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Appalachian State
W 80–75
19–8 (10–4)
20 – Benlevi
9 – Benlevi
4 – Simonds
Holmes Convocation Center (1,653)Boone, NC
February 23, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN+
at Coastal Carolina
L 82–95
19–9 (10–5)
31 – Simonds
6 – Wilson
5 – Williams
HTC Center (1,469)Conway, SC
February 28, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Arkansas State
W 76–60
20–9 (11–5)
15 – Thomas
6 – Benlevi
5 – Williams
GSU Sports Arena (1,615)Atlanta, GA
March 2, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN+
Little Rock
W 83–70
21–9 (12–5)
17 – Williams
9 – Tyson
5 – Simonds
GSU Sports Arena (2,004)Atlanta, GA
March 9, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPN+
at Georgia Southern Modern Day Hate
W 90–85
22–9 (13–5)
23 – Williams
11 – Wilson
6 – Wilson
Hanner Fieldhouse (3,897)Statesboro, GA
Sun Belt tournament
March 16, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN+
(1)
vs. (4) Texas State Semifinals
W 59–46
23–9
15 – Benlevi
10 – Benlevi
5 – Simonds
Lakefront Arena (1,344)New Orleans, LA
March 17, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2
(1)
vs. (2) UT Arlington Championship
W 73–64
24–9
16 – Benlevi
11 – Benlevi
5 – Williams
Lakefront Arena (1,473)New Orleans, LA
NCAA tournament
March 22, 2019 *7:20 pm, TBS
(14 MW)
vs. (3 MW) No. 11 Houston First Round
L 55–84
24–10
18 – Simonds
7 – Wilson
2 – Simonds
BOK Center (12,443)Tulsa, OK
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in
Eastern Time .
[ 8]
References
^ "GSU MEN'S BASKETBALL - 2018-19 ROSTER" . Georgia State Athletics. Retrieved September 19, 2018 .
^ Raphielle Johnson. "Preseason Mid-Major All-Americans" . NBC Sports . Retrieved October 2, 2018 .
^ a b c d "Georgia State, Panthers' Simonds Headline Men's Basketball Preseason Honors" . SunBeltSports.org . Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved October 25, 2018 .
^ Mike Holmes. "Simonds Scores 27, Sets Career FGM Record as Panthers Top Troy 77-63" . Georgia State Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2019 .
^ Mike Holmes. "Benlevi Just Misses Double-Double, Panthers Top App-State 80-75" . Georgia State Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2019 .
^ "Sun Belt Announces 2018-19 Men's Basketball Postseason All-Conference, Individual Awards" . Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved March 12, 2019 .
^ "No. 1 Georgia State Defeats No. 2 UTA in Sun Belt Men's Basketball Championship Final" . Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved March 18, 2019 .
^ "Men's Basketball 2018- Schedule" . GeorgiaStateSports.com . Georgia State University. Retrieved September 19, 2018 .
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