Hamilton likes chemistry, skills of new-look FSU men's basketball team

The Florida State men’s basketball team got preseason practice under way recently, and Warchant was among the local media who were invited to watch the Seminoles practice and also speak to head coach Leonard Hamilton and two veteran players.

Following a disappointing 17-16 season one year ago, Hamilton made it clear that he feels good about his new-look 2024-25 team.

“I don’t want to be overly optimistic, but I can’t really say I’m cautiously optimistic,” Hamilton said. “I would say I’m very excited about the players we got. I think we got a lot of leaders.”

The headliner of this Florida State team is obviously redshirt senior Jamir Watkins. The 6-foot-7 guard originally announced after last season that he would enter the transfer portal and test his luck at the NBA Draft. But after going through some pre-draft workouts, he ended up reconsidering and returning to FSU for his final season.

In his first season at Florida State, after transferring in from VCU, Watkins averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 steals, which were all team highs.

Jamir Watkins, Florida State 6-7 210, 23 y/o

Valued archetype: Big playmaking wing that can defend multiple positions. Got over 100 more ball screens at FSU and thrived using handle, height, strength for driving through contact and passing. Improvises with counter shots in… pic.twitter.com/IoQ0jLuFJd

— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) September 26, 2024

Hamilton said a top concern entering this season is developing chemistry with his four returning players and nine newcomers — a group that includes four freshmen and five transfers. But he also knows that in the transfer portal era, teams all over the country are dealing with similar situations.

And based on early practices, the veteran Florida State coach clearly likes what he has seen so far.

“They have great attitudes and great work ethic,” Hamilton said. “They seem to be really connected, and they like each other. It’s refreshing to see.”

Florida State’s other returners are point guard Chandler Jackson, who averaged 4.9 points last season after battling through an early hand injury; sophomore forward Taylor Bol Bowen, who averaged 3.1 points and 2.6 rebounds while logging under 11 minutes per game; and forward Waka Mbatch, who saw action in just two games and redshirted.

The Seminoles have very high hopes about the development of Bol Bowen, who attended the ACC’s annual preseason tip-off event this week with Watkins and Hamilton.

“I’d say the biggest emphasis in my offseason work was shooting,” the rising sophomore said. “Being able to knock down a lot more shots is important.”

Practice Observations

The thing that jumped out the most during the practice we observed was the energy in the building. The motivation and attitude that Hamilton spoke about in his interview was evident almost immediately, with players voicing words of encouragement to each other throughout the entire practice. 

There was a clear emphasis on shooting during this practice. In one drill, each player had to make — not shoot, but make — 10 3-pointers from each spot around the arc. During one session, Jamir Watkins took the lead role, making 50 3-pointers in about four minutes.

Another player who stood out in that drill was 7-foot freshman Alier Maluk. The highly skilled big man finished the drill with 46 made 3s. Improving the perimeter shooting has been a major point of emphasis for the Seminoles, who finished next-to-last in the ACC for 3-point shooting a season ago at 31.7 percent.

Chandler Jackson was the vocal leader of the practice, as his voice could be heard constantly throughout the gym. This is Jackson’s third season with the Seminoles, and Hamilton described him as the “old man” of the program.

The practice we attended ended with a modified scrimmage, in which many players stepped up and made impressive plays. Transfer forward Jerry Deng (Hampton) stole the show on offense. He put his whole arsenal on display, finishing fast-breaks with ferocious dunks as well as showing his ability to shoot (he was a 39-percent shooter from range last season). 

Another newcomer that made a splash was freshman forward AJ Swinton. Swinton seemed to be all over the court both offensively and defensively, blocking shots (including one on Malique Ewin, the Seminoles’ highly touted JUCO transfer) and making plays that made it seem he had already been in the system for some time. On one possession, Swinton received a pass on the left wing, drove right and demolished the rim with a dunk that even made Hamilton take a second to admire the play. 

The Seminoles will host a pair of exhibition games — on Oct. 24 against St. Leo and Oct. 31 against West Florida — before opening the regular season at home on Nov. 4 against Northern Kentucky.

Stay connected with Warchant for a more in-depth roster breakdown. 

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