JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This whole thing started a week ago when Ron Hunter busted his Achilles while celebrating his team scoring 38 measly points.
Everything after that was cake — and got sweeter by the moment.
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This is what happens when a small university tucked away in the big city takes hold of the best weekend in all of sports and squeezes every last drop of hero from it.
Even with a gut-wrenching loss in the third round of the NCAA tournament that ended the joyride much too soon.
“I told our guys they have nothing to be sad about,” Hunter said in explaining the end of the road. “This was the greatest weekend of my life.”
He paused and looked at his son, R.J., the star player who hit the shot that fueled the madness, put his hand on his head and began to weep.
“I love this kid, man,” he continued, he words jumbled through raw emotion. “I love him.”
Years from now, the idea that the Kentucky Invitational ended with the Wildcats winning it all with a perfect record will always come with a kicker:
Wasn’t that the year when the guy was coaching from an office chair and his son — didn’t he play in the NBA? — hit that crazy shot and the whole thing broke the internet?
Who could have known the dynamics and drama — shoot, the sheer love — from Georgia State’s 72 hours of glory would change forever the way this tournament will be seen?
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From Ron Hunter’s ridiculous injury while leaping in the air after Georgia State won the Sun Belt Tournament and made this all possible, to the chair he was then forced to coach on, to the unforgettable father and son bond that won the hearts of basketball junkies and office pool addicts all over.
Just because Xavier missed all of three shots in the second half; because the Musketeers played a perfect game to advance to the Sweet 16 and end Georgia State’s dream postseason run, doesn’t minimize this Hollywood script for the team no one knew (or cared about) seven days ago.
“That’s how you go out, man,” R.J. Hunter said. “I thought we went out swinging, and that’s how you do it.”
This is the joy and beauty of the NCAA tournament: even the losers are loveable. And in some cases, more so than the undefeated, unflappable team of high school All-Americans.
What would you rather see? Kentucky winning by double digits again, or Ron Hunter shifting and swinging around like a buoy in rough waters on that godforsaken chair?
Look at him on that thing. He’s all arms and ass; fists pumping, legs balancing, the chair teetering this close from another hundred Internet memes. Fell off that thing Thursday when his son hit the shot heard round the tournament, and broke the cast protecting the Achilles that he tore celebrating getting to the NCAAs.
They absolutely killed him in the Georgia State locker room over that one, his own son leading the way of busting chops on the man who can’t even celebrate without getting injured.
“Who gets injured celebrating?” says Georgia State guard Kevin Ware, the former Louisville star who knows something about getting injured. “He’s got to suck it up.”
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He did just that, for a full week of the unthinkable — sucking it up and soaking it in and leading the ragtag bunch that can’t even sell out the tiny gym on its tiny campus in the middle of massive, pro sports-dominated Atlanta.
But son of a gun, did they make this tournament fun.
They came back from 12 points down with less than three minutes to play to beat No. 3 seed Baylor, and were down half that against Xavier with less than three minutes to play. But you’re not winning games against a team that missed all of 11 shots the entire game and hit 10-of-10 free throws in the closing minutes.
In just about any other game, Georgia State might have had a chance to move on and continue this perfect story that kept getting better with every new twist or turn.
“We were so close,” Ware said.
Late in the game, with 20 seconds to play, Ron Hunter called timeout to pull his son from the game and give him the recognition he deserved. He stood from that chair, balanced on one leg and bear-hugged his son as he came off the court.
They left the floor together after the final buzzer sounded, Ron Hunter on his scooter and R.J. next to him as they faded away into the tunnel to a rousing ovation. A student manager was close behind, wheeling that chair off the court for the last time.
“R.J. is a really, really good player,” Ron Hunter said. “But he’s a much better son.”
Years from now, those will be the lasting memories.