Corey Clark: Leonard Hamilton will never be defined simply by wins; not even 600* of them

Leonard Hamilton said Saturday he had no idea until the game was over, and it was announced over the public address system inside the Tucker Center, that he had just won his 600th career game as a head coach.

That might seem hard to believe if it was coming from another coach.

But when it comes to this particular one, the guy who has been running this program for the last 20 years, well, it’s not that hard to believe at all, is it?

Hamilton’s time as the Florida State men’s basketball coach is going to come to an end relatively soon. He’s 74. And even though he still looks younger than me, we all realize that he’s probably not going to be leading this program until he’s 80.

Nobody knows when or how it will end, but it’s undeniable that we’re closer to the end of his FSU career than the beginning. Which is why it was so cool for him to have this moment on Saturday, when he not only got to celebrate the 600th* win of his career but the 400th* at Florida State as well.

(These numbers have asterisks next to them because in reality, he’s won 622 and 422, respectively, but the NCAA nonsensically took away 22 of his wins back during the tutor-gate fiasco in the 2000s).

This season, clearly, has not gone great. It’s going to end up being one of the worst records he has had as a head coach. Because of another rash of injuries, and a half-year suspension to his most talented player, Leonard Hamilton’s 21st season as the Florida State head coach has not gone according to anyone’s plan.

Unless there’s some miracle run led by Baba Miller, who will make his first appearance Wednesday at Wake Forest, the Seminoles (5-11, 3-2 ACC) likely are not going to make the NCAA Tournament; they’re probably not going to have a winning record either.

But you know what? Who cares? Jared Verse is coming back!

Just kidding, folks, this isn’t a football column. Heaven knows I’ve written enough of those the last four months.

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No, this is a column, and really a celebration, of a man who has done so much for so many. A man who has been a consummate professional, a consummate ambassador, a consummate leader for Florida State University.

Leonard Hamilton is a winner. I want that to always be remembered by Florida State fans. Yes, he has his faults. Just like every other coach in the world. He’s not perfect. But he made Florida State basketball relevant.

He made it fun.

He put together a program that has given us so many great memories over the last two decades — including the best multi-year run in the history of the school — and I’m glad he got his video tribute after the win over the Yellow Jackets on Saturday. And the loud ovation from the few thousand fans who were still in the building. He deserves it.

🐐 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇#NewBlood | @FSUCoachHam pic.twitter.com/lvV4TURug5

— Florida State Men’s Basketball (@FSUHoops) January 8, 2023

Getting to 600* wins is a great accomplishment. Getting to 400* at FSU is, too. Only four other ACC coaches have won more. It’s a bummer, truly, that one of his last seasons started like this one did, with losses mounting at a rate we had never seen around here before.

But let’s not lose sight of what he’s done in Tallahassee, what he’s done for the sport, what he’s done for so many people. Let’s not lose sight of who he is as a person.

Getting to Win No. 600*, in the middle of a maddeningly difficult season, gives us a chance to celebrate Hamilton again.

It will probably come to nobody’s surprise that when I asked him about reaching the milestone he talked a whole lot more about the people he coached, and coached with, than he talked about himself. He gave them a lot of credit for that 600* number.

And in typical Hamilton fashion, he also talked about what means the most to him in the grand scheme of his life and career.

“In our world, you guys recognize us for wins and losses,” Hamilton said. “That’s how we can keep our jobs, that’s how we can get recognized. … But in reality, we have so much more responsibility than winning games. You take a teenager and are ushering him into young adulthood. You’re taking them at the most impressionable, most vulnerable time of their lives, and you’re trying to get them to grow up in a four-year period that they’re working with you. And that’s what we focus on every day.

“Now, the byproduct is that hopefully we’ll win enough games. But in reality, the fact that we’ve only had two guys not graduate, in my opinion is much more important to us than 600 wins.”

I’m not sure there’s a quote that could sum up who Leonard Hamilton is better than this one.

And while I have no idea how much longer he’ll be here or how many more milestones he’ll reach, I do know that Leonard Hamilton should absolutely never be defined simply by how many games he has won. Not even 600 (ahem, 622) of them.

Contact senior write Corey Clark at [email protected] and follow @Corey_Clark on Twitter.

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