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Florida State
Last year was a breakout one for Leonard Hamilton and his Florida St. Seminoles. They finished 25-10, their best mark in 16 years. That included a 10-6 mark in the ACC, the third best in school history. It put the ‘Noles in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998. On top of those team accomplishments, Hamilton earned ACC coach of the year honors. The best part is that Hamilton thinks this year’s squad could be better!
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It is going to be hard to replace all-everything guard Toney Douglas. Douglas was dominant on both ends of the floor and teams had to game plan for him first and foremost. This year’s team should be much more balanced. Manning the point will be Derwin Kitchen and Luke Loucks. Kitchen started the final 17 games last year and really was a steadying influence. Loucks will be able to provide a solid backup. Look for these two to run the offense and concentrate less on scoring. Chris Singleton, at 6’9”, is the tallest small forward in the league and solid on defense. The coaching staff would like him to attack the basket more to try and take advantage of his length. Solomon Alabi was a force on defense last year and has worked very hard this summer on his low box game. It will be important for him to emerge as a solid double figure scorer. Deividas Dulkys has worked hard on his three point shot over the summer and wants to be one of the best perimeter shooters in the league.The x-factor amongst the returning players could be Xavier Gibson. He showed flashes last year in limited minutes and his improvement could make this a very deep front line.
The incoming class is very impressive. Michael Snaer is a prototypical Hamilton guard- big and tough. He has a high basketball IQ and loves to be in the gym. His personality and ability should pay big dividends early. Terrence Shannon missed his senior year with a knee injury but is coming along well. He is very strong under the basket and has a great knack for rebounding the ball.Finally, Pierre Jordan knows the system well and will provide valuable depth in the backcourt.
This year’s team is the one Hamilton has always envisioned- long, athletic and fast.They could conceivably start 6’4”,6’5”,6’9”,6’11”,7’1”!! Look for this squad to play pressure defense and push the ball up the floor on every occasion.The keys will be the maturation of Kitchen and Loucks at the point and how they run this team. They need Singleton to blossom into a consistent high double figure scorer. Moreover, the need for a more balanced scoring attack will be critical. This team should meet all these goals and give fans in Tallahassee another outstanding season. I would be shocked if they are not in the NCAA’s again come March.
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