LE BAS KET BAL L 200 8–20 09 FLO RIDA STA TE UNIV ERS ITY SEM INO
ÂŻ #/ !#( %3
, % / . ! 2 $ ( ! - ) ,4 / .
one of the top 25 all-time winningest coaches in Atlantic Coast Conference history, has led the Florida State men’s basketball program to three consecutive postseason appearances and continues to cement the Seminoles as one of the top basketball programs in the nation. Hamilton has guided four of his ďŹ rst six Seminole teams into postseason play as he returns Florida State to a program of signiďŹ cance both nationally and in the ACC.
Head Coach 2008-2009 COACHES
s 4ENNESSEE -ARTIN s !USTIN 0EAY s 3EVENTH 3EASON AT &LORIDA 3TATE s TH 3EASON AS A #OLLEGIATE (EAD #OACH
Now in his seventh season as the Seminoles’ head coach, Hamilton has elevated the program in every way possible. Consider the Seminoles’ 19-15 record a year ago. It marked the ďŹ rst time since the 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons that the Seminoles have won at least 19 games in three consecutive seasons. The Seminoles ďŹ nished with seven wins in the ACC play to mark the third consecutive season they have won at least seven games in ACC play for the ďŹ rst time in school history. Additionally, the Seminoles defeated a ranked team (No. 24 Florida) for the sixth consecutive season under Hamilton. Florida State ďŹ nished the 2007–08 season with a 19-15 record. The Seminoles have a 106-86 record (.552 winning percentage) and an average of 17.6 victories a season during Hamilton’s ďŹ rst six years in Tallahassee. Florida State has won at least 18 games in four of the last ďŹ ve seasons and averages 18.4 wins per season since winning 19 games and advancing to the second round of the NIT during the 2004 season.
20
Hamilton’s players at Florida State who have stayed through their senior years has graduated. Hamilton’s players have also succeeded at a high level since his arrival at Florida State. He was at the 2007 NBA Draft to watch Al Thornton — one of his prized pupils — become only the second Draft Lottery selection in school history as he was picked with the 14th overall selection by the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2007, Thornton earned All-America Third-Team and All-ACC First-Team honors and was the runner-up choice as the ACC Player of the Year. Hamilton has coached two of the three players (Thornton and Tim Pickett in 2004) who have earned All-ACC honors in school history. Last season, he coached guard Toney Douglas who earned All-ACC Third-Team honors, was named to the All-ACC Defensive Team and led the ACC in steals.
Florida State has also become a ďŹ xture in national statistics since Hamilton’s arrival. The Seminoles ďŹ nished ďŹ fth in the nation (and was the ACC leader) in free throw percentage during the 2007–08 season after ranking ninth in the same category during the 2006–07 season. The Seminoles ranked eighth in the nation in 3-point ďŹ eld goals made per game in 2003–04 and in the nation’s top 25 in ďŹ eld goal shooting percentage during the 2005–06 Hamilton won his 300th season and in ďŹ eld goal percentage defense career game on Jan. 23, during the 2003–04 season. 2008 when he guided Florida State over Virginia. He then Hamilton was hired on March 19, 2002, to coached his 600th career game, return the Seminole men’s basketball program leading the Seminoles past Wake to the glory it had earned when it played for Forest in the ďŹ rst round of the the 1972 national championship and regularly competed for, and won, conference championACC Tournament on March 13. ships during the 1980s and early 1990s. As he continues to build his program into one of the nation’s best, Hamilton was the Washington Wizards’ head Hamilton annually attracts the coach in 2001 and the head coach at the nation’s top talent to Tallahassee University of Miami for 10 years prior to that and helps those players reach (1991–00) when he became the seventh head their goals of not only playing coach in Florida State men’s basketball hisat the next level but of excelling tory. academically and earning their degrees. Nearly every one of