The ACC may be in for a surprise with FSU’s fresh roster. Presenting a Florida State Basketball preview as Leonard Hamilton leads his new squad. In the 2020-21 season, the Seminoles managed to finish second in the ACC Standings and advanced to the Sweet 16 where they fell to Michigan. Since then, the team has failed to finish better than eighth in the conference standings. Hamilton is the winningest active coach in the ACC, but in order to become one of the elite he’ll need another Regular Season or Tournament Title under his belt.
Florida State Basketball Preview: Seminoles May Surprise ACC
Middle of the Pack
The Noles have been fighting in the fray that is the ACC, but these last few seasons they haven’t exactly ended up on top. Finishing eighth in the conference in both 2021-22 and 2023-24, clearly FSU isn’t the worst team on the Atlantic Coast. Hamilton is a solid, experienced coach who has his team competing year in and year out. So, what’s the team missing that’ll elevate the Seminoles to the next level? Perhaps Coach Hamilton’s 2024 freshman class, ranked 21st nationally by 247, will change things up.
Incoming FSU Freshmen
Daquan Davis, AJ Swinton, Alier Maluk, and Christian Nitu will headline the 2024 Florida State Freshmen Class. Davis comes from Overtime Elite where he played for RWE. The Baltimore native averaged 17.9 points per game and six rebounds during the 2023-24 OTE season. Swinton is ranked 156th nationally and eighth in the state of Virginia and chose FSU over offers from Maryland and Virginia Tech. Maluk, a cousin of Bol Bol, reclassified from 2025 to 2024 to begin his collegiate career sooner rather than later. Nitu is the sixth-ranked player in the province of Ontario. According to the Florida State Men’s Basketball website, Nitu watched a lot of film of Kristaps Porzingis and Kevin Durant while developing his game. Standing at 6-foot-11 and weighing 220 lbs. the Canadian has the necessary frame to emulate Durant’s and Porzingis’s playing style.
Lesser Known Freshman
Jalen Crawford and Anastasios Rozakeas aren’t listed on 247Sports under Florida State’s 2024 Commits but will be joining the Noles for the 2024-25 season. Crawford is the son of Adrian Crawford, who played for the Seminoles from 1998-2001 and is the color analyst on the Florida State Legends Sports Network for the Seminole’s Men’s Basketball Team. Rozakeas is an international prospect coming from Greece. The wiry guard averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in six games while representing Greece at the 2024 FIBA U18 Eurobasket. The Athens native’s high basketball IQ and ability to navigate the pick and roll as a ball handler make him a unique talent.
2024 Florida State Transfers
Malique Ewin, Jerry Deng, Bostyn Holt, and Justin Thomas have all transferred to FSU. Ewin is ranked third among JUCO transfers on 247. The big man comes to Tallahassee from South Plains College where he averaged 14.9 points and nine rebounds last season. Deng is transferring in after his freshman season at Hampton. The former pirate averaged just 10.2 points last year, yet he exploded for a season-high 37 points against D3 Mary Baldwin he also had a 24-point outburst against Howard. Holt will spend his final year of eligibility playing for Hamilton at Florida State, after spending time at Utah and South Dakota. Thomas redshirted his 2023-24 season at UTSA, and now joins the Noles as a junior. In his 2022-23 season at Wisconsin-Milwaukee the Baton Rouge native shot an impressive 43% from deep.
Seminoles 2024-25 Schedule Preview
Florida State will travel to Houston on November 9th where they’ll face Rice in the Battleground 2k Hoops Doubleheader. Unfortunately, that is the only non-conference contest the team has announced so far. On the team’s Twitter page, they’ve announced some notable home games against rivals such as Miami and Florida. Outside of that information not much is known about the Noles’ schedule for the upcoming season. Coach Hamilton may have been more focused on filling out his squad than scheduling opponents as the team recently finished recruiting for 2024.
