Florida State Seminoles
2009-10: 22-10
2009-10 ACC Record: 10-6
Florida State this past
season played very good team basketball. Sophomore center Soloman Alabi led the
team with 11.0 and everybody else fell in line.
They had an 8-man
rotation that worked out very well.
They had a productive
season in the ACC and will look to do the same next season. After an early
first -round loss to Gonzaga in this year’s tournament, they should look to be
more dominant next season
Key Returnees
The 'Noles were able to return
most of their players from last season’s team that made the NCAA tournament.
They biggest return is
Xavier Gibson. He is look on to replace Soloman Alabi in the post. He has great
size at 6'11'' and when presented with minutes he will contribute in ways Alabi
was able to.
Not to mention, they
returned their second leading scorer Chris Singleton. Singleton will be looked
on to be the scoring threat down low. He is 6'9'' and
a versatile player in the post. The 'Noles will need a bigger scoring
punch from him down in the low post.
Michael Snear will be an
interesting player to watch. He can be a big-time player once he decides to
take a bigger role in the offense.
Key Departures
The 'Noles will have to
do without Alabi, Ryan Reid and Jordan DeMercy. The biggest lost was Alabi. The
7-foot-1 center decided his career as a 'Nole was over and joined the NBA draft
prospects.
That put a huge hole in
the frontcourt.
He was a big target and
could score down on the low block. He was also defensive. He grabbed down a lot
of rebounds, blocked and altered shots.
His contributions will
be greatly missed.
Reid and Demercy were
solid contributors. They were great off the bench commodities and
will be greatly missed as well.
The 'Noles were
successful because of the services of these three players. They contributed a
lot to this program.
Key additions
The 'Noles have a great
recruiting class this year. They brought in two ESPNU top 100 recruits as well
as junior college transfers.
Okaro White is the most
versatile player brought in by Leonard Hamilton. White has the ability to
handle the ball at 6'8'' which means he can step out and hit 15-to-20 footers.
Ian Miller is one of the
best combo-guards in the country. He has the ability to score in the lane at
will. On top of that, you have a guy that is committed to playing
defense.
Jon Kreft may be the
biggest signing by Coach Hamilton. He is 7'0'' and will most likely be look on
to help fill the shoes of Alabi.
Lastly, Bernard James is
6'9'' all-around talent. James is the type of guy you want running with you on
the fast break. He is explosive and has the ability to score inside-out.
The 'Noles have a ton of
talent that will turn them into a deep squad next season.
Prediction
Even after the departure
of Alabi, the 'Noles are in perfect position to improve without him. They have
a nice squad that is most likely going to present a much larger rotation next
season.
They have a nice
frontcourt that will highlight more than two players. It will go four and five
players deep.
Not to mention, the
guards of Florida State are starting to grow more and more.
The x-factor for this
upcoming season will be Michael Snear. He was a freshman last year that didn't
have a big role in the offense.
However, this year
Florida State will require him to step up and make plays for the team.
If he can get going and
take on the leader role the 'Noles should be in perfect position to improve
their squad.
Written by DeAnte Mitchell
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