The 2013-14 season for Florida State came to a somewhat disappointing finish as the Seminoles settled for a NIT appearance after impressive wins over Virginia Commonwealth and Massachusetts in the non-conference. Few know exactly what to expect of Florida State this upcoming season, but the personnel for the Seminoles may be a very good match for what has made them successful under head coach Leonard Hamilton in the past.
Florida State is losing some key veteran experience as both Ian Miller and Okaro White were members of FSU teams that reached the Sweet 16 in 2011 and won the ACC in 2012. The lone holdover from the 2012 team is center Kiel Turpin, who was redshirted at the time.
While Florida State may not have any players left from that special group, the personnel it has is not that different. Hamilton’s most successful teams at Florida State have won with defense, size and athleticism.
When Florida State won the ACC in 2012, it was hardly loaded with offensive talent. Michael Snaer led the Seminoles in scoring that year with an average of 14 points-per-game. No one else averaged as many as 11 points.
Playing the role of Snaer this season may be his former teammate, Aaron Thomas. Thomas may be a bit more athletic, but like Snaer, is a max-effort guy on both ends of the court. There’s no doubt that Thomas is expected to be Florida State’s best player, but perhaps his best attribute is how well he defends on the ball.
Junior guard Devon Bookert is also a good on-the-ball defender for Florida State. A natural point guard, Bookert is likely to join Thomas as a starter in the FSU backcourt.
At 6’3″ and 6’5″, Bookert and Thomas give Florida State good size at the guard position, but the length of forwards Jarquez Smith and Montay Brandon could give the Seminoles’ opponents fits on the defensive end of the court.
At 6’7″, Brandon hasn’t been real consistent offensively, but he has been versatile for Hamilton. Brandon is likely to see a lot of time at small forward and has played both guard positions for FSU.
Brandon is a good defender and a very good athlete which should be his biggest and perhaps most important contributions to Florida State this season.
Sophomore Jarquez Smith is long and athletic at 6’9″. Like Brandon, Smith will be able to guard a number of positions and can be used near the basket or out on the floor.
As good as Michael Snaer was for the Seminoles in 2012, what defined Florida State’s run to the ACC title was its size. With a 7-footer in Jon Kreft along with former Sargent Bernard James and 6’11” Xavier Gibson, the Seminoles were a match-up nightmare.
This season, Hamilton will have three 7-footers at his disposal, but the big men happen to be Florida State’s biggest question marks.
Turpin, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA in the offseason, has been solid for the Seminoles, but lacks the upside of juniors Boris Bojanovsky and Michael Ojo.
The tallest player ever to play at Florida State, Bojanovsky at 7’3″ has shown very good touch for a guy his size and has already proven to be an exceptional shot-blocker. The problem is Bojanovsky lacks lower body strength which often allowed him to be pushed around in the post by stronger opponents.
For the 7’1″ Ojo, it’s almost the opposite. At nearly 300 pounds, Ojo is less than five percent body-fat and is ridiculously strong even for a man his size. Offensively however, Ojo lacks the finesse that both Bojanovsky and Turpin have.
While Florida State was picked to finish just eighth in what is expected to be a very good ACC, the Seminoles have the personnel that mirrors some of their great teams of the past. Thomas certainly looks to have All-ACC potential with a plethora of size and athleticism around him.
Whether or not the Seminoles are able to use those things to their advantage as they at times, struggled to do a season ago however, may ultimately decide whether or not the Seminoles return to the NCAA Tournament or settle for a third straight trip to the NIT.
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