FSU men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton talks final preseason win over UWF
FSU men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton talks final preseason win over UWF
On Thursday afternoon, Floria State men’s basketball took another step forward in its second and final exhibition win over West Florida, 100-56. Hamilton liked what he saw.
“I think we show a side that we’re improving a little bit of a view of what we could be, but there are obviously some areas of our game that we all need to continue to keep working,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said.
However, the Seminoles are still a work in progress in Hamilton’s eyes.
With the opening tipoff against Northern Kentucky Monday at 7 p.m., Hamilton still wants his players to improve defensively and connect with each other on the floor.
“This is a glorified practice,” Hamilton said.
“We did a lot of experiments. We got to fine-tune some things in order for us to get ready for the season. We’re not even close to being where we’d like to be.”
Here are the takeaways from the win.
Taylor Bol Bowen flirts with a triple-double
Taylor Bol Bowen made his presence known on both ends of the floor. Enough where he was just shy of a triple-double.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore finished with 14 points, which tied with Jamir Watkins, eight rebounds and seven steals.
FSU finished with 19 steals, with Bowen leading the pack.
Bowen’s length and long arms gave him the upper hand when poking the ball out from the perimeter and creating transition for the Seminoles.
“This is somewhat challenging for him to be out there defending on the perimeter as much as he has to in know our system,” Hamilton said. “
“He’s active with his hands. He didn’t draw a whole lot of power, but his length and long arms shut down passing lanes, at least this alternate pass, and shot, and that’s one of the things that I’m hoping we can utilize this year.”
Ball movement leads to better shooting efficiency in the second half
The shooting wasn’t quite there in the first half as the Seminoles were 2 for 10 from the three-point line even though they led the Argonauts 44-23.
FSU finally found its stroke in the second half after shooting six of its seven three-pointers in the first five minutes while going on a 32-2 run.
The Seminoles looked in sync with their ball movements. They made extra passes and had a few alley-oop dunks to show for it.
FSU finished the night with a 57 percent field percentage and 45.8 percent from the three.
Five FSU players finished in doubles figures and added 21 total assists, with Watkins leading with six and Bostyn Holt at five.
“I was seely impressed with the fact that we moved the ball, made the extra pass, tried to create for each other,” Hamilton said.
“That’s why we were able to shoot such a good high percentage from the perimeter, and because we are getting those kinds of shots, the uncontested shots that are in rhythm.
Leonard Hamilton mixes things up in his rotation
FSU’s combination of athleticism, length, and depth was on display against West Florida. Hamilton switched things up with his deep rotation, playing 14 guys.
Hamilton’s purpose was to get everyone on the same page. FSU has 10 new players on the roster, which are a mixture of freshmen and transfers.
“The challenge that we have is trying to develop the chemistry with playing a lot of people,” Hamilton said.
“We got to know each other, we got to have a feel for one another, and night this afternoon, I thought we showed some signs of recognizing.”
Hamilton played his reserves earlier in the first half.
Daquan Davis was one of the bright spots coming off the bench for FSU. The freshman guard shot for of his six shots and finished the night with 12 points in 20 minutes.
Sophomore forward Jerry Deng tied with Holt with 10 points after playing in the second half for the Seminoles.
FSU’s international freshmen Christian Nitu (Canada) and Anastasios Rozakeas (Greece) also showed promise coming off the bench. Nitu had nine points, four boards, and a block, while Rozakeas added five points and three rebounds.
“We play a lot of people,” Hamilton said.
“It’s important that we play different combinations and have different groups on the floor so we can learn how to play with each other.”
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
