The Georgia State men’s basketball team will have a new head coach heading into the 2022-23 season.
Jonas Hayes, the former interim head coach at Xavier, was hired by Georgia State Wednesday,
Hayes is an Atlanta native and graduate of Douglass High School. He will get his first permanent stint as head coach with the Panthers after finishing as interim coach at Xavier.
After being named interim at Xavier on March 16, he led the Musketeers to a 2022 NIT title where they defeated Texas A&M 73-72 on a buzzer beater.
Hayes brings his experience where he was assistant coach at Xavier for three seasons. Before then, he was an assistant at his Alma mater Georgia for six seasons before leaving.
Georgia State athletic director Charlie Cobb told the Associated Press that Hayes was the school’s choice following interviews with “multiple” candidates.
“Jonas is an experienced leader who will build a staff that embraces our expectation of competitive success, develops men of character and engages our community positively and with energy,” Cobb said.
The Panthers will look to continue their trend of making the NCAA tournament after former head coach Rob Lanier led the Panthers to the first round this past season where they fell to Gonzaga 92-73.
Hayes graduated from the University of Georgia in 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Family Development.
Hayes launched his coaching career at Morehouse College in 2005.