It is going to be here before you know it. The college basketball season is right around the corner and Phenom Hoops wants to take their shot at previewing teams around the country for this upcoming season. All throughout the upcoming weeks, we will be previewing teams for this upcoming season, so be sure to check out all the latest talk.
Florida State Seminoles
2020-21 Season:
Record: 18-7 (11-4 ACC)
Points per game: 77.2
Rebounds per game: 36.7
Assists per game: 14.5
Points allowed: 69.2
Top Performers 2020-21:
Points per game: MJ Walker (12.2)
Rebounds per game: RaiQuan Gray (6.4)
Assists per game: Scottie Barnes (4.1)
Field goal percentage: Quincy Ballard (71.4)
Guess what… FSU bringing size once again
It just wouldn’t be a Florida State team under Coach Hamilton if they didn’t bring size to the floor, including a few 7-footers. Well, they have them again, including three players over 7-foot. Senior Malik Osborne will be one of the leaders for this group, as the 6’9 forward played in 24 games last season and has the size to play inside as well as step out. You also have to look to see the development in 6’11 Quincy Ballard and 7’2 Tanor Ngom have been able to make and what kind of impact they will be able to make (both of which played 18+ games last year). Then you have to look at a few plays that will be coming in as newcomers; freshman 7’1 center John Butler might need a little time to adjust to the college level while FSU will also have Chipola College transfer 7’3 Naheem McLeod as well. They have plenty of size on their roster but it will be interesting to see what kind of impact these big men have for this team.
Key guard play
Florida State will have senior Anthony Polite returning, as the 6’6 guard started 16 games and averaged 10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He will be relied on helping carry the scoring load for this team at times but the Seminoles will also have RayQuan Evans as well that can help out (started 18 games last season). But the player that many will look at to see what kind of impact he may have for the Seminoles is Houston transfer Caleb Mills. Mills was a dynamic prospect as a redshirt freshman in 2019-20, averaging over 13 points per game. He will be able to provide a lot of help offensively as well as giving FSU another ball-handler on the court. You can also look at 6’7 Cam’Ron Fletcher, who transferred from Kentucky after limited action. He was a Top-100 prospect coming out of high school but will he live up to that in Tallahassee.
Watch out for Matthew Cleveland
The Seminoles have an intriguing group of newcomers coming in but the one that I will have my eyes on is the 6’6 guard Matthew Cleveland from Pace Academy. Watching him countless times in high school, this young man is just built differently and is wired to score at a high rate. He plays with such a strong feel, superb athleticism, and at times looked unstoppable on the floor. Ranked as a Top-20 prospect in the class, Cleveland could be that next young prospect to come through FSU and make an immediate impact. He is going to be a name to remember.Key Stat to Watch
Florida State lost a lot of production from last year, including a few very talented prospects. In fact, the Seminoles lost 66.3 percent of its point-production from last season. They will have talent coming in to help with those losses but will they be able to step up in a big way for a program that averaged 77.2ppg