Florida State Seminoles
2019-2020 Overall Rank: #31
Conference Rank: #5 ACC
Florida State has a lot of players to replace after a 29-win campaign. Following a trip to the Elite Eight in 2018 and the Sweet 16 in 2019, the Seminoles appear to be heading towards a big step back. Losing six of their top eight scorers will certainly give that impression. Gone are starters Terance Mann, Christ Koumadje and Phil Cofer, along with leading scorer Mfiondu Kabengele. However, Coach Leonard Hamilton has enough players coming in to run his typical deep rotation. And as long as Coach Hamilton has that depth, FSU will be a dangerous team in the ACC.
2018-19 Record: 29-8, 15-1
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Leonard Hamilton
Coach Record: 354-216 at Florida State, 554-426 overall
Key Departed Players:
Terance Mann, Guard, 11.4 ppg
Christ Koumadje, Center, 6.6 ppg
Phil Cofer, Forward, 7.4 ppg
Mfiondu Kabengele, Forward, 13.2 ppg
David Nichols, Guard, 6.4 ppg
PJ Savoy, Guard, 5.9 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Trent Forrest, Senior, Guard, 9.3 ppg
M.J. Walker, Junior, Guard, 7.5 ppg
Devin Vassell, Sophomore, Guard/Forward, 4.5 ppg
RaiQuan Gray, Sophomore, Forward, 3.9 ppg
Anthony Polite, Sophomore, Guard, 2.7 ppg
Key New Players:
Rayquan Evans, Junior, Guard, JC Transfer
Ty Hands, RS Freshman, Guard
Nathanael Jack, Junior, Guard, JC Transfer
Balsa Koprivica, Freshman, Center
Dominik Olejniczak, Senior, Center, Grad Transfer from Ole Miss
Malik Osborne, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Rice
Patrick Williams, Freshman, Forward
Projection:
Trent Forrest will be the senior leader of this group. He may not be the best scorer around, although he did average 9.3 points per game, but Forrest added 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals. He does so much for this team and will help usher in all of the new faces. But before we get to the new faces, Florida State does bring back M.J. Walker and a trio of sophomores. Walker, a 6-5 junior, will be one of the more dangerous outside shooters on the team and he will get some help from Devin Vassell and Anthony Polite in that regard. RaiQuan Gray and junior Wyatt Wilkes are back to add options at the power forward position. But the newcomers will give Coach Hamilton the depth he needs. In the frontcourt, Dominik Olejniczak and Malik Osborne bring experience to the roster. Olejniczak is a grad transfer from Ole Miss who brings a seven-foot frame and a load of experience to the Seminoles. Osborne spent one season at Rice and is an athletic 6-9 forward who Coach Hamilton expects to make a big impact. And then there is freshman Pat Williams. He is a smart player who has the shooting range to stretch the defense. The newcomers on the perimeter include junior college transfers Rayquan Evans and Nathanael Jack. There should be enough depth for the Seminoles to rotate effectively. And there is plenty of size and more shooting options than Florida State had last season. If all of those pieces come together, this is a group that has a ton of potential.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.9 (111th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.2 (59, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.2 (184, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.7 (29, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.4 (213, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.2 (238, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.4 (49, 3)
Rebound Margin: 4.5 (41, 4)
Assists Per Game: 12.8 (221, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (216, 12)
Madness 2019 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#22 Patrick Williams
#65 Balsa Koprivica
