Last season saw a Florida State team that had only one certainty going into the season, and he went by the name of Toney Douglas. Douglas led his team with great guard play and All ACC performances night in and night out. Along with Douglas, Leonard Hamilton found that he had a very solid team surrounding his star guard. The team fought and scrapped their way through some tough ACC foes and ended the ACC regular season at 10-6, and advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament, where they ran out of gas against a hot Duke team. Hamilton and his players should look back with pride on the 2008-2009 season, and move forward with the experience they gained from it.
The loss of an All Conference guard is not easily moved past in any program. Florida State has some some players that will fill the roll very well and could work their way up the ranks, just as Douglas did in his time in Tallahassee. Freshman phenom Michael Snaer is being tabbed the next big thing in the backcourt, and Seminole fans should see plenty of him as a freshman at the shooting guard position. Returning all purpose guard Derwin Kitchen figures to pick up the role as one of the teams leaders on and off the court. The Junior will be asked to score and rebound more from both the point and the scoring guard positions this season. If Michael Snaer doesn't produce as expected, sophomore Luke Loucks could earn starts. Loucks isn't as athletic as some of his ACC foes, but Hamilton loves his court vision. Redshirt Freshman Pierre Jordan and Sophomore sharpshooter Deividas Dulkys will also share minutes in the backcourt for Flordia State. These guys will have to make solid decisions on the court and improve on their 08-09 performances if they want to help keep the Seminoles near the top of the conference.
The Frontcourt is something that Florida State should look at as a strength, and by all rights they should. The Seminoles are one of the bigger and rougher teams up front. Hamiltons squads in the past have been very physical teams, and this year seems that it will continue that trend. Three big sophomores and one senior will patrol the paint this year in the forms of Xavier Gibson, Chris Singleton, Solomon Alabi and Ryan Reid. All of these guys seem to have one thing in common, Toughness. Alabi and Singleton saw time as starters a season ago, and figure to increase their roles for Coach Hamilton this season. Rebounding on both ends of the court and banging down low will be two major things asked of these guys this season. Reid played well as a backup a season ago, and will also be asked to bring a improved version of himself to the table this season along with sophomore Xavier Gibson. Gibson has a chance to crack the starting lineup if he increases his game on the court the way he did over the course of last season, but only time will tell.
Overall this is a Seminole team that should set their sites on another push for the top of the ACC. The league is full of solid teams but Florida State can match up down low and bang with any of them. The maturity of their backcourt with the departure of Douglas will be the story line this season in Tallahassee, and the way the Seminoles respond to that challenge could land them anywhere from third or fourth in the league to seventh or eighth in my opinion, again, only time will tell.
by Casey Head
Fantasy Player to Watch
With Toney Douglas dominating the ball a season ago with a usage rate of 24.4, FSU will be looking for a new fantasy leader. Looking at this year's roster, six returning FSU players having usage rates between 15.6 and 16.9, led by Solomon Alabi. While Alabi's offensive skillset is still maturing, he is the FSU returning leader in points and rebounds per 40 minutes. If Alabi's offensive game can take a step forward, he should dominate the glass and also get his fair share of block shots which will help in ACC Fantasy Basketball.
