Georgia State hires Atlanta native Jonas Hayes to coach men's basketball
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 29: Interim Head Coach Jonas Hayes watches the game against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies during the NIT Semifinals at Madison Square Garden on March 29, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - An Atlanta native who took Xavier to the 2022 National Invitation Tournament title will lead the Georgia State Panthers men's basketball team.
The Atlanta-based university's athletics department announced it hired Jonas Hayes as the Panthers' next head coach. Hayes steps in to fill the void left by Rob Lanier, who took the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament this season. SMU hired Lanier as its next men's basketball head coach.
Georgia State Athletics Director Charlie Cobb said he will officially introduce Hayes at a press conference next week.
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"I'm excited to announce Jonas Hayes as our new men's basketball head coach," Cobb said in a statement. "Over the past week, we interviewed multiple coaches excited about the opportunity to lead the Georgia State program.
"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."
Hayes is a former Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball player and assistant coach. He played for the Bulldogs squad that reached the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Hayes was an assistant coach for five seasons at Georgia, including when the Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
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Hayes began his coaching career as an assistant at Morehouse College, followed by one season at South Carolina State and five seasons at Belmont Abbey.
Hayes earned a reputation for his ability as a recruiter in four seasons at Xavier. Hayes assumed the role as interim head coach on March 16 and led Xavier to a 73-72 win over Texas A&M in the NIT championship.
Hayes went to Douglass High School in Atlanta.