Early Cinderella stars of tourney, Georgia State's father-son duo says goodbye

Published Mar. 21, 2015 9:01 p.m. ET

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From falling out chairs to 30-foot game-winning shots to scooters to calling out the president's bracket, Georgia State was the NCAA tournament's preeminent Cinderella darling.

Led by the father-son duo of Ron Hunter, the coach, and R.J. Hunter, his 6-foot-6 star player who downed 3-seed Baylor with an improbable game-winner, the 14th-seeded Panthers provided both fireworks and laughs. Xavier ended the upstart's run prematurely on Saturday evening, winning 76-67 to advance to the Sweet 16.

The game could also end the three-year run the Hunters have enjoyed, one that included two Sun Belt titles and this three-day whirlwind. R.J. is considered a potential first-round NBA draft pick and could forego his final season of eligibility, although his father has made it publicly known that he hopes the family's sharpshooter sticks around one more year.

Still, with the clock running down and Xavier knocking down its free throws, the two embraced as R.J. exited the game. The emotions bubbled over into the game's aftermath. Ron broke down in tears during the postgame proceedings, describing the entire phenomenon as, "The greatest week of my life. The greatest time that I've ever had to be a father. ... I love this kid."

The two walked off the court together, father's arm over his son's shoulder. They sat side-by-side during interviews. The Big Dance still has UCLA's father-son combo of Steve and Bryce Alford, but the Hunters were the first family of Madness. They will be missed.

To recap the (often hilarious) roller-coaster:

-- After winning the Sun Belt Tournament title, an accolade that barely alluded the Panthers last season, Coach Hunter was injured in the post-game celebration. The eventual diagnosis was a torn Achilles. The injury limited Hunter's movement, requiring him to move around on a scooter and sit in a backless computer chair on the sidelines.

-- An undermanned underdog against 3-seed Baylor (they were without starting guard and former Kentucky transfer Ryan Harrow), R.J. knocks down a deep 3-pointer to win the game. It wasn't his only long-range shot of the tournament, but it was his most memorable. The shot sent Georgia State into the Round of 32.

-- The shot also sent its head coach caroming onto the floor in celebration. Coach Hunter tried to continue coaching from the floor with a couple seconds left on the game clock, but Baylor's last-second heave is off the mark. The clip has shown on loop millions of times ever since.

-- In the aftermath of the upset, the Hunters become overnight national celebrities. They were the tourney's most quotable underdogs. R.J. makes fun of and reenacts his father's memorable fall. Ron calls out President Obama for not picking the Panthers in his bracket. When asked about the father-son relationship, which they were quite often, great responses were returned: "I told my wife, 'If I knew R.J. was going to be this good, we shoulda had more kids.'"

Addressing his team in the locker room (later aired on TV), Ron Hunter said, "What you did is something special. We're going to remember this forever. When we come back and you guys are 30 years old, married or 40 and you bring your kids back, we're gonna talk about what just happened this week."

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