Approaching the end of an era at Florida State, retiring coach Leonard Hamilton will enjoy one final matchup against his former team, Miami, when the teams meet on Wednesday night in Tallahassee, Fla.
The 76-year-old Hamilton, who announced earlier this month that his 23rd season would be his last at the helm of Florida State (15-10, 6-8 ACC), coached at Miami from 1990 to 2000. He led the Hurricanes to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 berth in his final season.
The Seminoles are tied for ninth in the conference standings and likely need to win the ACC tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
One of Florida State’s bright spots is leading scorer Jamir Watkins, averaging a team-leading 18 points per game, along with 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals.
“I am extremely blessed,” Watkins told Seminoles.com. “I trust in the practice and have faith in the process.”
Hamilton’s former team is amid one of its worst seasons following the sudden retirement of veteran coach Jim Larranaga, who stepped down in December.
Despite a dismal overall record, Miami (6-19, 2-12) has had a solid month, going 2-2 with victories over Notre Dame and Syracuse and respectable losses at Louisville and Pitt.
Hamilton won’t be the only individual enjoying one final reunion, as former Seminoles standout Matthew Cleveland, who transferred to Miami from Florida State before last season, is having an outstanding senior year.
Cleveland leads Miami in scoring (16.4 ppg) and is also averaging 4.2 rebounds per game.
Cleveland had one of the biggest highlights in the programs’ basketball rivalry in recent years when he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift the Seminoles over the host Hurricanes 85-84 on Feb. 25, 2023. Miami would go on to reach the Final Four that season.
“My main thing was just helping the team, especially after Coach L stepped down, just pulling us together because we still had 19 ACC games to play,” Cleveland said after the team’s recent win over Syracuse.
–Field Level Media
