Florida State hungry to return to NCAA tournament

For junior guard Montay Brandon and the Florida State men’s basketball team, the torment of the 2013-14 season still lingers.

“It definitely hurt,” Brandon said. “This summer we’ve worked hard with that one goal in mind, which is the NCAA Tournament.”

The Seminoles missed out on the tournament for the second consecutive year in 2013-14 and instead went to the National Invitation Tournament. FSU made a deep run in the NIT before losing to Minnesota in overtime of the semifinals. Thirteen-year coach Leonard Hamilton and the Seminoles will look to improve on the mediocre campaign that saw a 22-14, 9-9 ACC finish.

Without a consistent defensive effort, the squad instead was forced to outgun its opposition. Even with the second highest ACC 3-point percentage, the team struggled.

Hamilton is expecting big offensive contributions from his four returning starters, led by leading scorer, junior guard Aaron Thomas. Thomas averaged 14.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in 2013-14 as one of the nation’s most well-rounded guards.

Joining Thomas, in what could be one of the best backcourts in the ACC, are fellow junior guards Devon Bookert and Brandon.

Bookert will use his consistent long-range shooting to stretch defenses out, building on an impressive collegiate career 3-point shooting average of 46.6 percent.

Jack-of-all-trades Brandon gives the Seminoles flexibility with his size and athleticism. At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, Brandon is a matchup nightmare for opponents, especially since he can play anywhere except center.

The already impressive backcourt could be even more potent with the belated addition of the Seminoles’ 2013-14 top recruit, freshman guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes. The highly touted guard was ruled academically ineligible in 2013, but now that Rathan-Mayes has his academics in order, he could be a dark horse standout player in the ACC.

FSU also boasts one of the largest frontcourts in the nation. The fourth returning starter, Slovakian junior center Boris Bojanovsky, leads a trio of 7-footers on the roster. Alongside the 7-foot-3, 240-pound Bojanovsky are 7-foot-1, 292-pound junior Michael Ojo and 7-foot, 240-pound redshirt graduate Kiel Turpin. All three give the Seminoles a towering defensive presence, but only Bojanovsky has shown offensive capabilities as well.

“Working on just being connected, all getting on the same page,” Thomas said. “We’re doing a lot of pick?and?roll things, getting our big men involved more. Coach stressed that a lot, getting our big men the ball more.”

A more-experienced lineup, along with added depth from another solid recruiting class, gives Hamilton a competitive squad that can contend with any team in the ACC. New and old ACC teams alike would be wise not to overlook FSU on their schedules.

“We have not been the most talented team in the ACC, but I think we’ve been able to respond appropriately and win enough games,” Hamilton said. “Now hopefully with a little more depth and improved offensive skills, this will be another year where we will surprise a lot of people.”

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