By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
It has been a career full of three-pointers so far for R.J. Hunter. The 26-year-old American guard sank seven threes on Wednesday for 25 points on the road and the win for Turk Telekom against Lietkabelis in Basketball Champions League Regular Season Gameday 3 action. His massive offensive outing build on a series of previous similar appearances before his move overseas.
The three-point business
Back in Georgia State between 2012 and 2015, he played under his father Ron Hunter and knocked him off his chair with a clutch 30-foot three-pointer with 2.6 seconds to go in the 2015 NCAA tournament match against Baylor. On the 12-point comeback in the final 2:53 of the Round of 64 tilt orchestrated by Hunter’s 12 points, the Panthers went on to the Round of 32. Following his junior NCAA season he declared for the NBA draft and was selected 28th overall by the Boston Celtics.
Among other records, he remains the all-time leader for Georgia State in points with 1,819. He sank 253 threes in his three NCAA campaigns, but did not stop there. His seven threes on Wednesday produced his seventh outing with at least seven made shots beyond the arc during his professional career.
The Ohio-born player made 27/93 threes through 50 NBA appearances both in the regular season and the playoffs, 253/715 during his three-year college career and tipped off his BCL run with 10/18 from three-point range. He also has 13/35 threes in his first five appearances in Turkey’s Super Ligi. He currently stands at 303/861 in the above competitions for an impressive 35.1%.
“I have always had fun shooting threes since I was a child,” Hunter confessed to Eurohoops, “It has been my favorite part of basketball when I started playing. The trend of threes makes the game more entertaining to watch because fans get excitement when that skill is displayed in the match.”
Clutch moments
Perhaps the epic moment in the 2015 NCAA tournament. his clutch three against Baylor made most fans take notice, but making long-range shots in crucial moments was nothing new to him and to the Georgia State closer followers. He previously sank several huge threes for GSU, especially in his sophomore season.
Hunter is undoubtedly a proven force from the three-point line, now displays his shooting attributes in FIBA’s premier continental competition. A true speaker for the worldwide trend of more and more threes.
“My dad has told me to have fun traveling the world and playing basketball,” he told Eurohoops on his father’s advice on his move to Turkey, “It has always been my dream to play basketball professionally and to see the world. I can do both now.”
“The country of Turkey has welcomed me with open arms and I have had an amazing time playing for Telekom so far and I look forward to continuing this journey in this country and all over the world” he added commenting on his first impressions.
Unbeaten Turk Telekom
Turk Telekom sits on top of Group A of the Champions League with a 3-0 W-L tally. Two out of the three victories came on the road including the Round 3 triumph over Lietkabelis. Still eleven regular season contests to go, but the Turkish team is already making a strong bid for a playoffs berth and the home-court advantage in the adjusted best-of-three format set to be implemented between the Group Stage and the Final Four.
“I just expect to continue winning games,” he mentioned on the upcoming challenges, “Our team is focused and hungry to win games and that always makes this season and team have potential. My personal goals are to win games and help my team win big matches.”
With Hunter making threes at his current impressive rate, the Turkish club can surely look forward for a long BCL run. If it comes down to a clutch shot, we might witness head coach Burak Goran falling to the floor reacting to the American sniper’s long range effectiveness. Nevertheless, Turk Telekom supporters will enjoy watching him produce points.