'Incredible honor' ... Character award is fitting for FSU men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton

It could be one of the easiest speeches Stan Jones ever has to deliver, and at the same time, one of the hardest.

Jones, who is the longtime associate head coach for the Florida State men’s basketball team and has been Leonard Hamilton’s right-hand man for nearly three decades, will make the introductory comments Friday afternoon when Hamilton receives the Joe Lapchick Character Award during a luncheon at the New York Athletic Club in New York City.

From endless stories of the young men Hamilton has developed into productive citizens to the many sacrifices Hamilton has made to help young coaches get their break in the business, there is no shortage of material.

But where does one start? And where does one stop?

“As good a basketball man as he is, he’s a better molder of people,” Jones said. “For him to get this award, it’s an incredible honor that is well-deserved.”

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Throughout his 51-year coaching career, Hamilton has received all sorts of recognition. He was named Big East Coach of the Year twice when he was at Miami, and he has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times while at Florida State.

He has won conference tournaments, a national championship as an assistant coach and cut down nets in many arenas. But in Jones’ mind, there might not be a distinction more suited for Hamilton than winning a national award that, “celebrates what is good in the game of basketball by honoring those who have demonstrated honorable character throughout their careers, much like the legendary Coach Lapchick.”

According to the award’s website, Lapchick won 334 games as head coach at St. John’s and also led the New York Knicks to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances (1951-53). Previous winners of the award include Mike Krzyzewski, John Thompson, Pat Summit and Dean Smith.

This year’s honorees are Hamilton, Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, former LaSalle coach Speedy Morris and former Belmont coach Rick Byrd.

As Jones reflected this week on all Hamilton has given back to the sport, he recalled being a young high school coach in Mississippi and being hired to join Hamilton’s staff at Miami. Before he even knew he was a candidate for the job, Jones says, Hamilton had already checked out all of his references and decided he wanted him on his staff.

It ended up changing the course of Jones’ life, and he has been with Hamilton ever since.

“Since I met him the first time, you could sense there was a genuineness and sincerity about him that was different,” Jones said. “As a high school coach, I got to meet a lot of college coaches who were recruiting my players … and he was different.

“I tell parents this all the time in recruiting: You may not come play for us, but if you’ll sit down with him for five minutes, you will tell me that you could trust your son with this man. And every one of them — to a person — over the years has said, ‘I could trust my son playing for that man.'”

As Jones shared those sentiments Tuesday afternoon, Hamilton was standing about 50 feet away, offering advice to a pair of young college coaches who came to Tallahassee to see what they could learn from the Seminoles’ staff.

Jones had told them they could come watch a workout and that he would answer any questions they might have afterward. Instead, Hamilton seized the opportunity to start sharing information about his defensive principles and other coaching tips without even being asked.

“I tell young coaches all the time,” Jones said, “if you can be around him before he gets to the end of the line in this business, it’s invaluable.”

It’s a journey Jones is grateful to have been a part of for going on 28 years. So when he was asked to make the introductory remarks for Friday’s ceremony, he could not have been more excited.

“It’s been incredible because he’s such a selfless, egoless leader,” Jones said of Hamilton. “In every situation, if it goes great, he gives everybody else the credit. If goes bad, he takes all the blame. You just don’t see many people like that.”

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