Ask a Florida State fan what he or she thinks of head basketball coach Leonard Hamilton and the answers may range from underachiever to solid leader. With his first win of the 2015-16 season, Hamilton will become the school’s all-time wins leader — a title he would already own had it not been for 22 wins from the 2006-07 being vacated — but at FSU, Hamilton’s best days could still be ahead.
Hamilton will be 67 years old when the 2015-16 season begins and his time on the sideline is obviously limited. But over Hamilton’s final years in Tallahassee, he’ll be equipped with elite talent.
On Monday, 5-star swingman Jonathan Isaac announced his commitment to the Seminoles, giving FSU the current No. 2 class for 2016, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. At 6’9″ and with the ability to stretch the floor, Isaac is a match-up nightmare and will join 4-star guard Trent Forrest, who committed to FSU earlier this year.
The Seminoles remain in the hunt for big men Udoka Azubuike, Dewan Huell and Juwan Durham. This comes after Hamilton notched the No. 9 class last year headlined by guards Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley.
Though it’s unlikely he’ll have all of these players, Hamilton could have Beasley, Bacon, Benji Bell, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Isaac, Forrest, Terance Mann, Phil Cofer and Jarquez Smith for the 2016-17 season. The list includes five 4-star players and a pair of 5-stars. If even six or seven of those players are still around, the Seminoles may not be poised for only a return to the NCAA Tournament, but a deep run once it gets there.
Hamilton’s FSU legacy to this point is up for debate. In 13 seasons, the Seminoles have had just two losing seasons as opposed to the previous four before Hamilton arrived. Hamilton has led FSU to seven 20-win seasons, the school’s only ACC title and he’s the only coach to lead the program to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances while producing nine NBA draft picks.
The problem for Hamilton is those are the only four appearances in his tenure despite six top-25 recruiting classes prior to this incoming class. During those four appearances, the Seminoles advanced just twice and never further than the Sweet 16. In the past, Pat Kennedy took Florida State to the Elite Eight and Hugh Durham actually coached the Seminoles to the 1972 National Championship where they were defeated by UCLA.
Too often under Hamilton, FSU has finished squarely on the bubble, but were left on the outside looking in. During the 2003-04, 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, one more win would have likely been enough to punch a ticket to the dance for the Seminoles.
But with what’s coming in and possibly returning over the next few years, Hamilton will have the opportunity to forever his enhance his legacy as head man of the Seminoles. FSU has come very close in the past to taking the next step, but with the talent Hamilton will have over the next several years, there will be few excuses for not getting it done.
Hamilton’s basketball program will likely always play second fiddle to the football program at Florida State, but it wasn’t long ago that the same could have been said for Billy Donovan at Florida and Thad Matta at Ohio State. Few believe Hamilton will be able to take the Seminoles to that level of success, but if ever there was a time for it to happen, it’ll be over the next few years.
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