Leonard Hamilton on FSU's scoring issues: 'We've been consistently inconsistent'

The Florida State basketball team has had a very up-and-down year, sitting at 14-13 overall, just one game above .500. For coach Leonard Hamilton it comes down to the differences in this year’s team vs. previous ones.

The Seminoles are overly reliant on a few scorers and haven’t had enough contributions all the way down the bench.

“We’ve always won games by committee,” Hamilton said. “We’ve never tried to rely on one or two players. We’ve been accustomed to having nine different guys leading our team in scoring over the course of the year. That’s been kind of our motto.”

This year there are only three double-figure scorers on the team, and one stands head and shoulders above the rest.

That’s forward Jamir Watkins, who is averaging 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He’s done it all, but he often hasn’t had enough help.

“Jamir’s led us just about the whole year, which is probably why we don’t have the same record that we’ve been accustomed to having over the years,” Leonard Hamilton said. “But Jamir has been a staple for us. What you need on a team, especially in the ACC, you’ve got to have consistency, where you know what to expect night in and night out. We have been consistently inconsistent the entire year in not being able to develop the continuity that we’ve been accustomed to.”

Florida State has lost four of its last five and six of its last eight games. The team is in the middle of the pack in the ACC, sitting at 8-8 in league play.

Hamilton pointed to one key reason for the change in his team’s fortunes, and it’s one that many college coaches are grappling with. Rosters turn over quicker now and generating true chemistry can be much more difficult than it used to be.

The Seminoles have struggled with this squad in that regard.

“We’ve been always accustomed to having juniors and seniors that were freshmen and sophomores,” Leonard Hamilton said. “They were probably a little more confident than what we have now. I only have one junior with me that’s been with me three years. So we’re adjusting as coaches and as a team to just the new climate as it exists in college athletics. So we’ll make that adjustment I’m sure. Hopefully before too long.”