Leonard Hamilton calls out Florida State players to have mind shift after Virginia Tech loss

For the third consecutive game, Florida State found itself on the losing end. Leonard Hamilton brought his team back from a West Coast trip with back-to-back losses but did not perform much better in front of the home crowd. Virginia Tech was able to get a double-digit win in Tallahassee, dropping Florida State to 4-6 in ACC play.

Hamilton believes his team needs a “mind shift” following the game. He was impressed with Florida State’s physicality vs. Virginia Tech and said so on multiple occasions. Something is just not clicking for the players as Hamilton says his ways have not changed.

“We definitely need a mind shift,” Hamilton said. “We give these guys the same information we’ve been giving guys for a long, long time. We’re not getting the same response.”

A lack of experience within the Florida State program is an area Leonard pointed to when discussing the issues. Jamir Watkins, the team’s leading scorer, is considered a senior but joined the Seminoles as a transfer ahead of the 2023-2024 season. The next five guys are all considered freshmen or sophomores.

Hamilton is used to recruiting guys and bringing them up through the ranks. By their junior or senior year, they are key contributors and understand the message being sent. But in today’s modern college basketball, building programs like that is difficult.

Seeing guys playing with “instincts” instead of what is present by the coaching staff may be what the three-game skid is credited to.

“I might give them a little wiggle room because we’ve been accustomed to having juniors and seniors that were freshmen and sophomores in our program,” said Hamilton. “You’re operating more on instincts. This is the new version of college athletics, all sports. Especially basketball.”

On3’s Pete Nakos recently put together a list of college basketball jobs to watch down the stretch of the season. Hamilton’s name did appear, speaking about the struggles in recent times. He is certainly not alone in the ACC.

The head coach’s main focus at the moment is likely Saturday’s trip to Boston College. A 2 p.m. ET tip-off time is scheduled as Florida State is looking to get back on the right track. Extending the drought to four games would be the longest of the season.

Hamilton might spend attempting to find a new way to get his message across until then.