Offseason
It was a very frustrating offseason for the Seminole Basketball program.  It started with losing out on all-world phenom Andrew Wiggins, who chose Kansas over Florida State and other schools. Many people within the program felt very good about the chances to land the talented Wiggins and it was a bit of a kick in the gut when they didn’t get him.  It’s not a big long term loss, however, as Wiggins will be a one and done on an NBA team this time next year.  The Noles got more bad news when it was announced Xavier Rathan-Mayes would have to sit out the 2013-14 season due to a clearinghouse issue.  Rathan-Mayes is a blue-chip Top 30 player in the 2013 recruiting class and would have been able to make an immediate impact.   In the more recent part of the offseason, Kiel Turpin has had a tough time rehabbing from a knee injury and hasn’t been able to participate in exhibitions thus far.

On the positive side, however, the Seminole basketball team travelled to Greece in August and spent two weeks practicing, touring, and playing games against professional teams and the Greek National Team.  It’s a valuable time for the program to get extra practice and refine their skills against quality competition.  Florida State battled the national team, ranked 4th in the world by FIBA, to a close 9 point loss after having a lead in the 3rd quarter.

Newcomers (info from seminoles.com)

Brandon Allen - Joined the Seminoles in 2013 after playing professional baseball as a pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization for three seasons (2010-12)…the right-handed pitcher was the Giants 18th round selection in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft…selected to pursue a baseball career and forgo a collegiate baseball career at Auburn…father, Randy, is the Seminoles’ No. 14 all-time scorer and played four years in the Garnet and Gold (1984-87)…graduated from Milton High School with honors and plans to major in engineering at Florida State…

Xavier Rathan-Mayes -  Will sit out the the 2013-14 season…considered to be one of the best and most complete shooting guards in the high school class of 2013…an all-around scorer who can make shots in transition by utilizing his exceptional athleticism in getting to the rim, can stop and shoot from the 3-point line, can score out of half court sets and has an incredible ability to read defenses and score off of screens and from ball reversal…also has an exceptional mid-range game and can shoot off the catch and create for himself on the dribble…said to have incredible body control with a penchant to score on perfectly placed floaters…will excel in Florida State’s system as a wing scorer and will create match-up problems for defenders because of his athleticism… ranked as the No. 28 overall prospect by Rivals.com and ranked No. 24 by ESPN …the No. 8 Rivals.com ranked shooting guard was a member of the FIBA U18 Americas Jr. Championship Team and the Canadian U18 national team…participated in the Nike Global Challenge (2011 & 2012) and played for the CIA Bounce 17s AAU Team…will wear uniform No. 22 – the same number his father, Tharon, won at Florida State (1988-90)…

Jarquez Smith  - A talented forward with the ability to rebound and block shots at an incredible rate and who also has an incredible ability to knock down shots from the perimeter…his athleticism will make him a dominant rebounder and shot blocker for the Seminoles during his career…utilizes his athleticism to play effectively at the rim on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court…has the ability to play facing the basket as a power forward who can take his shooting range out to the 3-point line…is also a solid ball handler for a player of his size…is still growing and will become more explosive in both his speed and his aerial ability as he continues with the strength and conditioning program at Florida State…considered to be a fearless competitor…excellent mobility and range…has great hands and the ability to catch and release quickly…was Florida State’s first commitment for the class of 2013…ranked No. 63 on the CBSSPorts.com list of the top 100 high school players in the Class of 2013…a four-star recruit and the No. 18 ranked power forward by Rivals.com…ranked as the No. 57 player in the Class of 2013 by Rivals.com…ESPN.com ranked him as the 60th best overall player and the 15th best power forward at the end of his senior season…the 23rd best power forward in the class by 247sports.com

Joell Hopkins (Redshirted last season) - Will be a very valuable player and add depth to the Seminoles’ roster as a redshirt sophomore…a versatile forward much in the mold of Leonard Hamilton’s players – long and athletic with the ability to defend and score the basketball…one of the teams’ hardest workers who displayed his dedication to the Seminoles as he was one of the most valuable members of the scout team each day in practice despite not playing in any games during the 2012-13 season…runs the floor well and hustles after loose balls and rebounds…played one season at Tallahassee Community College before transferring to Florida State and joining the Seminoles program as a walk-on member of the team…played in 28 games during the 2011-12 season at TCC and helped lead the Eagles to a 15-13 record and a 3-9 mark in Panhandle Conference play…will add depth to Florida State’s deep front line and brings another player with shot blocking and rebounding abilities to the Seminoles’ roster…attended the same school as Seminole All-ACC selection and 2012 NBA Draft selection Bernard James…

Point Guard
Devon Bookert (6’3″ 185, SO) is back to run the point this year for the Noles and this time he comes in fully healthy.  Bookert is the first true point guard the Noles have had in several years and really came on in the latter half of last season.  He only averaged 2.4 assist per game, but managed the offense well and the Noles seem to be in sync much better when he was on the floor.  As an added bonus, Bookert is a fine shooter who averaged 53.5% from beyond the arc while hitting 32 threes on the year.  He has been named to the 2014 Bob Cousy Award watch list as the nation’s top point guard.

While Bookert will get the majority of minutes at the point, Montay Brandon and Ian Miller both have handled the duties in the past and can give some minutes handling the offense.  Brandon began the season last year running the point, but struggled some and is much better suited off the ball.  Miller, as one of the main scorers on the team, is also much better suited off the ball.

Shooting Guard
Ian Miller (6’3″ 198, SR) will be the eventual starter most likely here, but he’s missed the first two exhibition games and is not in the projected starting lineup released by the team for the opener. Miller will be key for the Seminole offense this year as he is probably the most pure scorer on the team. He is a very good shooter and has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble. He was hampered all last year by a foot injury that forced him to miss most practices during the season and several games throughout the year.

Aaron Thomas (6’5″ 195, SO), the presumed backup to Miller at the two guard has also not participated in exhibitions.  Thomas might have the most potential of any player on the roster.  He is a good shooter from long range and has the ability, and size, to attack the basket.  His development in his sophomore season could go a long way in determining the success of the Noles this season.

In their place to begin the year, Montay Brandon (6’7″ 216, SO) will get the start.  Brandon really started to come on late last year.  His value is certainly as a slasher and he has loads of athleticism to go along with his enormous frame for a guard.  He showed off amazing explosion late in the year last season with some amazing drive and dunks.  As his confidence builds, he can provide mismatches on both ends of the floor for the Noles do to his versatility and size.

 

Small Forward/Wing
Okaro White (6’8″ 204, SR) returns for his final season in Tallahassee as the team leader. Amazing athletic ability and surprising strength for his slender frame, White is a versatile player that can guard a multitude of positions on the defensive side of the floor while providing consistent offense for Florida State.  He is the top returning scorer for the Noles, averaging 12.4 points per game last year and was the top rebounder for FSU with 5.9 boards a game.  Winner of the team 3-point contest this fall, White has a very good outside shot, but struggled some last season shooting just 31%.  If he can translate his ability from long range onto the court this season, he could become a dominant scorer for the Seminoles.

Florida State has a multitude of players they can slide in here including the versatile Brandon and Thomas.  Robert Gilchrist and Jarquez Smith, both more power forwards, also can slide down to the #3 when FSU wants to go with a bigger lineup.  Joell Hopkins (6’6″ 205, SO) and Brandon Allen (6’6″ 190, FR) are also candidates to play the wing, but I envision them being more of reserve players this season.

 

Power Forward
Robert Gilchrist (6’9″ 220, SR) returns for the last of his two years stint as a JUCO transfer.  The London, England native is slightly bigger version of Okaro White with a long, lean body and truck loads of athleticism.  He has the ability to slide out to the wing and play the three position, but the size (7’3″ wingspan) and power to slide down to the blocks and play underneath.  While talented, Gilchrist was raw last year and the hope for Nole fans is that he can become a more reliable rebounder inside and more consistent on the offensive side of the court.

Jarquez Smith (6’9″ 225, FR) is a virtual clone of Gilchrist, but a little more polished even though he is just coming into his freshman year.  Smith was a consensus Top 100 recruit out of high school and consistently rated among the Top 20 Power Forwards in the nation last year.  Very strong and active around the rim, Smith should be a good rebounder and shot blocker immediately for the Noles while growing into and becoming familiar with the college game.

When the Noles want to go super sized, Kiel Turpin, if and when he’s healthy, has the ability so slide to the power forward spot as well.
Center
Boris Bojanovsky (7’3″ 240, SO) is slated to get the start in the opener.  It’ll be the first start of his career, though he saw action in 33 games as a freshman last season.  The tallest player in Florida State history, Bojanovsky is a very polished player out of the Slovak Republic.  What he needed most in the offseason was strength and size on his tall, lanky frame.  He’s added 20 pounds since the end of last year and is continuing to try to add weight.  When he becomes stronger he will be a load to deal with in the inside as he has a very high basketball acumen. Already a natural shot blocker, he finished 3rd on the team last season despite averaging just 11 minutes a game.

Michael Ojo (7’1″ 292, SO) will enter the season as the backup at center.  The Nigerian native is a massive and strong grown man whose size alone offers loads of problems under the rim. Leonard Hamilton said he improved as much as any player he has ever coached last season. Word from some of those who have had a chance to see offseason workouts have said his

improvement has continued.  He has had to learn to use his strength to aggressively attack the rim as he was not allowed to dunk his his native land.  Once he had that figured out late in last season, he began to attack the rim in a ferocious and intimidating manner.  If Ojo and Bojo have improved enough, FSU could have one of the most intimidating front lines in the country.

Kiel Turpin (7’0″ 240, SR) is the odd man out to start the season with an injury.  He started 25 out of 34 games played last season and was rounding into a very reliable player on the blocks for Florida State.  Unfortunately, a knee injury has sidelined him.  Although he was expected to return in the preseason, he has struggled rehabbing the knee and is out for the forseeable future at this time.  If and when he returns, he will give the Noles their most well rounded big man on the inside and brings the experience of averaging nearly 16 minutes a game last season.
Outlook
Florida State is at an interesting crossroads this year.  They have a solid core of talented young players who gained valuable experience last year mixed in with just enough senior leadership. However, they have to face an improved juggernaut of an conference with the additions of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Notre Dame into the conference.  While Florida State could easily be considered the 3rd best team in the ACC over the past 5 seasons behind Duke and North Carolina, those additions suddenly make it tougher for entire conference to finish in the top 4 or 5 in the league.   Florida State was picked to finish 9th by the ACC media, but they traditionally do not give the Noles much respect in the preseason.

Florida State has the pieces at all positions to be very competitive depending on the improvements made in the offseason.  If sophomore players such as Bookert, Brandon, Thomas, Bojanovsky, and Ojo have made the appropriate strides, this could be a very good team that finishes near the top 3rd of the conference.  If not, than a 9th place finish, or worse, is a distinct possibility.  I’m gonna predict somewhere in the middle with FSU finishing 6th with a 10-8 record and slight improvement over last seasons 9-9 finish.  The good news is that the bulk of this team is young and it could lay the foundation for a nice group of players over the next few years.