Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton Wants Program To Be Elite
By Joe Nardone
The Florida State Seminoles basketball program is solid, but not on the level of some of their ACC brethren. If you think about it logically, there is actually nothing wrong with not being a top-program in the Atlantic Coast Conference because of the powerhouses in the league. Although, no one has told that to FSU coach, Leonard Hamilton.
Hamilton, who is fresh off an extension, thinks and wants the program to be elite. Like, Duke Blue Devils kind of elite. A goal that might seem unattainable by those on the outside, but Hamilton sincerely thinks it can be done.
Kareem Copeland (AP Writer) got some very interesting quotes from Hamilton on this very matter. The most interesting of which, was like this nugget:
"“Our goal is to become, not just a good basketball program, but an elite basketball program. In other words, cracking into the hierarchy is a challenge that you have to be on 24-7.”"
Granted, Hamilton can’t say he is okay with the program being a mid-level ACC type. Nor can he say he is getting older and the window is closing on his career. Those things would get him punched square in his noggin.
The thing about this, though, is Hamilton is a good coach. He might not be great or everything you dream about when building a powerhouse program, but with all the transition of (even) more power programs joining the league, there might not be a better man to hold down the fort than Hamilton.
Whether or not he can make Florida State an elite program before his time runs up is yet to be seen.