Florida State Seminoles
Overall Rank: #25
Conference Rank: #6 ACC
Florida State lost all five starters from last year’s team. That group went 52-14 in ACC play over the last four years and reached the Elite Eight twice. Last season they were upset by Buffalo in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but the importance of last year’s senior class cannot be understated. Now Coach Sue Semrau has some rebuilding to do. But with no seniors on the roster, the Seminoles have some time to rebuild.
2017-18 Record: 26-7, 12-4
2017-18 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Sue Semrau
Coach Record: 405-240 at Florida State, 405-240 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Shakayla Thomas, Forward, 17.8 ppg
Imani Wright, Guard, 16.3 ppg
AJ Alix, Guard, 11.4 ppg
Chatrice White, Center, 9.0 ppg
Ama Degbeon, Center, 6.5 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Nicki Ekhomu, Junior, Guard, 10.1 ppg
Nausia Woolfolk, Junior, Guard, 8.6 ppg
Savannah Wilkinson, Sophomore, Guard, 2.5 ppg
Iho Lopez, Sophomore, Forward, 0.9 ppg
Key New Players
Amaya Brown, Freshman, Guard
Kiah Gillespie, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Maryland
Morgan Jones, Freshman, Guard
Sayawni Lassiter, RS Freshman, Guard
Valencia Myers, Freshman, Forward
Izabela Nicoletti, Freshman, Guard
Kourtney Weber, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Despite all the losses, FSU does return two key players from last season. Nicki Ekhomu averaged 10.1 points per game and is a tough 5-9 guard who can attack the basket and hit the glass effectively. Nausia Woolfolk added 8.6 points per game and is a very good perimeter defender. If she can start shooting more consistently, Woolfolk will see a drastic increase in her offensive productivity. Savannah Wilkinson and Iho Lopez did not see much playing time as freshman, but will get an opportunity now. Redshirt freshman Sayawni Lassiter will compete with incoming freshman Amaya Brown for minutes running the point. Brown is just one of five incoming freshmen who comprise a superb recruiting class. Izabela Nicoletti highlights the group that also includes Morgan Jones, Kourtney Weber and Valencia Myers. Kiah Gillespie, a transfer from Maryland, will add some much needed experience to the frontcourt. This will be an interesting year for Florida State, but there is talent here and by March this should be a group that has found their roles and is making a push for the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.0 (13th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.3 (153, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.6 (20, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.9 (90, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.9 (83, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.2 (57, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.3 (107, 6)
Rebound Margin: 10.0 (6, 1)
Assists Per Game:15.1 (73, 5)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (50, 1)
Madness 2018 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#37 Valencia Myers
#56 Morgan Jones
#59 Kourtney Weber
#65 Amaya Brown
