In what was supposed to be a down season for Florida State last season, Leonard Hamilton found a way to get the Seminoles in to postseason play. It was the ninth straight season the Seminoles played in a postseason tournament. And just like last season, there are questions about who is going to score points for them this season.
Backcourt
There is potential for scoring in the backcourt. Leading scorer Aaron Thomas returns. He really flourished over the second half of the season, scoring 20 points or more in three of the four games played in the NIT. He also had a stretch where he scored double digit points in 16 straight games. Also returning is Devin Bookert, who should handle point guard duties. He averaged 8.5 points per game while shooting 43% from three point range. The big coup for the Seminoles is getting highly touted Xavier Rathan-Mayes eligible this season. He will see time at the shooting guard position, and he can also score in bunches. Montay Brandon averaged 7.7 points per game last year, but struggled to shoot, and if that doesn't improve, his playing time will decrease. Newcomers Dayshawn Watkins and Robbie Berwick will provide more depth in the backcourt as well.
Frontcourt
The best way to describe FSU's frontcourt is pretty simple: size, size, and more size. No one boasts three seven footers that can wreak havoc near the basket like the Noles. Boris Bojanovsky (7-3), Michael Ojo (7-1), and Kiel Turpin (7-0) will make things difficult for teams to score in the paint. Bojanovsky was fifth in the ACC in blocks last season, averaging 1.9 blocks per game, while Ojo averaged just under 1.0 block per game. Turpin is returning for his sixth season after missing last season due to injury, but averaged over a block per game when he last played two seasons ago. None of them are very good scorers, but that's not what they will be asked to do. Aside from them, there is a bit of a question of who will play along side them. The main candidate is true freshman Phil Cofer, who is regarded as another highly skilled defender. Aside from him, Jarquez Smith and Brandon Allen are candidates to see time at the forward spot.
| Projected Starters |
|---|
| Devon Bookert |
| Xavier Rathan-Mayes |
| Aaron Thomas |
| Jarquez Smith |
| Boris Bojanovsky |
Schedule
There are a few opportunities for Florida State to get some quality wins early. The Seminoles play in the Hall of Fame Tipoff tournament, and will face Providence and UMass in it. Aside from that, the Seminoles will face Nebraska in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The last opportunities for a big non conference wins are playing Florida at home just before New Year's, and at Mississippi State just after New Year's. In ACC play, FSU gets Notre Dame in mid December, which should help set the tone for the rest of the season. The Seminoles do get a stretch of four of five on the road early in conference play, which includes game at Syracuse, Pitt, and UNC, that will also set the tone for the season.
Prediction
One thing is for sure: the Seminoles will be among the best defensive teams in the ACC. That is Leonard Hamilton's staple. The real question is if the Seminoles will be able to score consistently. There were games where FSU would score in the 80's and games where they would score in the 50's. If they can improve on that, they will be back in the NCAA Tournament this year. If not, they will likely be back in the NIT.
by Will Ojanen @WillsWorldMN
Fantasy Player to Watch
Aaron Thomas stepped up his game last season averaging over 14 points per game. The next step is to make his teammates better by increasing his assists and decreasing turnovers. If he can do that, he should be a top 10 fantasy player in the ACC.
Projected Statistics (Returning Players Only)
Explanation of Statistic Projections
| Name | Pts | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | % Correct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Thomas | 14.3 | 2.3 | 4.6 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 82 |
| Boris Bojanovsky | 12.7 | 0.9 | 5.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 85 |
| Devon Bookert | 11.8 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 84 |
| Montay Brandon | 9.8 | 2.0 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 82 |
| Jarquez Smith | 8.0 | 1.2 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 92 |
| Michael Ojo | 5.3 | 0.6 | 4.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 91 |
| Kiel Turpin | 4.9 | 0.6 | 3.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 89 |
| Brandon Allen | 2.9 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 98 |
Last Year's Player Statistics
| FSU | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | GP | Mins | Pts | Asts | Rbds | Stls | Blks | TOs | FG% | 3P% | FT% | |
| Aaron Thomas | 36 | 31.5 | 14.5 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 2.4 | 45.4 | 37.1 | 80.8 | |
| Okaro White | 36 | 30.0 | 13.6 | 0.9 | 6.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 51.4 | 37.5 | 79.8 | |
| Ian Miller | 33 | 28.4 | 13.7 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.9 | 44.9 | 39.9 | 87.3 | |
| Devon Bookert | 36 | 27.4 | 8.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 41.7 | 43.1 | 78.2 | |
| Montay Brandon | 36 | 29.4 | 7.7 | 1.5 | 4.9 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 41.6 | 25.0 | 61.5 | |
| Boris Bojanovsky | 36 | 20.6 | 5.9 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 58.8 | 0.0 | 67.9 | |
| Robert Gilchrist | 36 | 13.2 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 45.2 | 33.3 | 38.5 | |
| Michael Ojo | 36 | 11.9 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 54.7 | 0.0 | 42.6 | |
| Jarquez Smith | 34 | 10.1 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 43.8 | 23.5 | 52.0 | |
| Brandon Allen | 14 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 60.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Joell Hopkins | 14 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 25.0 | |
| Marquez White | 6 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | |
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