FSU aims to build on success; UF targets return to Big Dance
For years now, Leonard Hamilton has been calling his Florida State Seminoles basketball team
“the new bloods.”
But after three consecutive Sweet 16s and 25 ACC home victories in a row, the Seminoles are no longer newcomers to the national stage. They have become a perennial top-20 team and are ranked No. 2 behind Duke in the ACC preseason poll.
Among the major programs in the state, all of which underwent significant roster changes, FSU enters the 2021-22 season with the highest expectations.
“Respect is something that you earn, and when you’re in a conference with the rich tradition like the ACC, programs have 70 and 80 years of successful traditional exposure, like the programs in our league have enjoyed over the years, it’s very difficult for us to expect to make up the ground for 75, 80 years of success,” Hamilton said at ACC Media Day last month.
“So that’s why we call ourselves the new bloods. So, maybe we’re not as well known. Maybe. I really don’t know because we don’t try to measure ourselves. … When you look at the things we’ve been able to do at Florida State, I think it requires you to at least take notice.”
Hamilton then rattled off the Seminoles’ impressive recent resume.
“We’ve won 25 straight home games in the ACC — next one we win at home, we’ll tie the alltime winningest home record in the history of the ACC. We lost four games in five years at home. We won 11 straight overtime games. We’ve been to three straight Sweet 16s. So, I think we’re carving out our own niche.”
Here are some state story lines to follow…
FSU FOCUS ON FINAL FOUR?
FSU lost three players to the NBA Draft — Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), RaiQuan Gray (Brooklyn Nets) and Balsa Koprivica (Detroit Pistons).
Guards Anthony Polite, RayQuan Evans, Wyatt Wilkes and forward Malik Osborne are back, as is center Tanor Ngom. But it’s the newcomers who will likely be the difference-makers.
Sophomore guard Caleb Mills transferred from Houston and sophomore guard Cam’Ron Fletcher came from Kentucky. Mills was the 2020-21 Preseason AAC Player of the Year and averaged 12.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Fletcher struggled with the Wildcats and is seeking a fresh start.
UF RESTOCKED WITH VETERANS
The Gators return five players from a team that went 15-10 last season and lost in the secondround of the NCAA Tournament. They are projected to be a middle-of-thepack SEC team, but could pull some surprises and reach the Big Dance for the fifth year in a row.
Colin Castleton, a 6-10 Michigan transfer last season, was named to the preseason All-SEC first team.
UF lost six players to the NBA and transfer portal, but gained four transfers, including three senior perimeter players — Phlandrous Fleming Jr., Brandon McKissic and Myreon Jones — who could all start and are known for their defense.
Fleming was a two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Year with Charleston Southern, McKissic was Defensive Player of the Year with MissouriKansas City in the Summit League, and Jones was honorable mention All-Big Ten at Penn State. Forward CJ Felder, a transfer from Boston College, ranked second in the ACC in blocked shots.
UCF AIMS FOR NCAA TOURNEY?
Coach Johnny Dawkins is aiming to get his team back to the NCAA Tournament, where in 2019 the Knights nearly toppled No. 1 seed Duke in the second round, losing by one point. The Knights were 11-12 last season, including 8-10 in league play.
Players to watch include fifth-year seniors Darius Perry and Brandon Mahan, Isaiah Adams and Darin Green Jr., UNLV transfer Cheikh Mbacke Diong and C.J. Walker.
USF: 10 NEW PLAYERS
University of South Florida fans will have lots of new faces to learn, as the Bulls welcome 10 new players. Only four players return — Jamir Chaplin, Caleb Murphy, Russel Tchewa and Mark Calleja.
Among the key transfers: guard Javon Greene scored 1,000 points at George Mason, Jalyn McCreary is a highly touted forward from
South Carolina.