Florida State Seminoles
Overall Rank: #19
Conference Rank: #3 ACC
By Florida State standards, the 2020-2021 campaign was disappointing. The Seminoles finished 9-7 in ACC play, which was their worst conference mark since 2013-2014. Just like that season though, FSU still made the NCAA Tournament. The 2021 NCAA Tournament ended quickly and painfully though with a tough 83-59 loss against Oregon State. With their top eight scorers back and a few talented newcomers brought in by Coach Sue Semrau, the Seminoles could be in a position to win their first ACC title since 2010.
2020-21 Record: 10-9, 9-7
2020-21 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Sue Semrau
Coach Record: 475-257 at Florida State, 475-257 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Savannah Wilkinson, Forward, 3.1 ppg
Sayawni Lassiter, Guard, 2.7 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Bianca Jackson, Senior, Guard, 14.1 ppg
Morgan Jones, Senior, Guard, 12.8 ppg
Kourtney Weber, Senior, Guard, 11.8 ppg
Valencia Myers, Senior, Forward, 8.2 ppg
Sammie Puisis, Junior, Guard, 6.9 ppg
Sara Bejedi, Junior, Guard, 5.0 ppg
Tiana England, Senior, Guard, 4.4 ppg
River Baldwin, Junior, Center, 3.6 ppg
Izabela Nicoletti, Junior, Guard, 1.0 ppg
Amaya Brown, Junior, Guard, dnp last season
Key New Players
O’Mariah Gordon, Freshman, Guard
Erin Howard, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Auburn
Makayla Timpson, Freshman, Forward
Projection:
Point guard Bianca Jackson led the Seminoles with 14.1 points and 3.6 assists during her debut season with the team. The former South Carolina transfer is a threat to shoot the ball and that threat creates the space she needs to attack the basket and finish or find a teammate. And Jackson has plenty of teammates that can help with the scoring. Morgan Jones is a big 6-2 guard who added 12.8 points and led the team with 6.3 rebounds. Kourtney Weber and Sammie Puisis are the shooters on the team. This is not a team that will shoot a lot of three-pointers, but Weber and Puisis can do enough to make a big difference. The return of Amaya Brown, who has missed the better part of the last two seasons with an injury, should bolster the defensive effort on the perimeter and the addition of freshman point guard O’Mariah Gordon will provide plenty of options on the perimeter. The frontcourt will again be anchored by Valencia Myers. The 6-3 senior is an efficient scorer in the paint and a solid rebounder and shot blocker. The addition of Auburn transfer Erin Howard and incoming freshman Makayla Timpson will add more depth to the frontcourt. With all this experience and the new found depth, Florida State should have everything they need to make the 2022 NCAA Tournament last a bit longer than their disappointing 2021 appearance.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.3 (157th in nation, 14th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.8 (178, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 40.3 (154, 11)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.8 (198, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.3 (225, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.7 (97, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.7 (74, 6)
Rebound Margin: -0.4 (179, 10)
Assists Per Game: 11.6 (236, 13)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.0 (126, 8)
Madness 2021 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#28 O'Mariah Gordon
#47 Makayla Timpson
