Florida State finished with 22 wins in Leonard Hamilton’s 12th season in Tallahassee and the Seminoles should be optimistic that the 2014-15 season is even better. Hamilton has helped bring Florida State basketball back to respectability while leading FSU to four NCAA Tournament appearances and its only ACC title. While Tallahassee hasn’t exactly been a NBA breeding ground, Hamilton has had many great players through the years. Here’s a look at the 10 best Florida State players since Hamilton took over the program in 2002:
10. Solomon Alabi, C (2007-10)
At 7’1″, Solomon Alabi was an extraordinary shot blocker with great touch for a big man. In his final season as a Seminole, Alabi averaged nearly 12 points-per-game and better than six rebounds and two blocks. Alabi helped lead Florida State to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and was named third team All-ACC during the 2009-10 season. Alabi would go on to be taken in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.
9. Jason Rich, G (2004-08)
Jason Rich was never the recipient of many individual accolades, but gave Leonard Hamilton all he had over four seasons. Rich averaged in double-figures scoring in each of his final three seasons in Tallahassee and finished his career shooting a respectable 47 percent from the field. As a senior, Rich averaged a career-high 14.5 points-per-game.
Okaro White is Florida State’s career leader in games played. (Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports)
8. Okaro White, F (2010-14)
Florida State’s career leader in games played, Okaro White was one of the more unheralded stars to play for Leonard Hamilton. White was Florida State’s leading rebounder in each of his final two seasons on campus while shooting better than 51 percent from the field. As a senior this past season, White averaged 13.6 points-per-game, a career-high. White played on a pair of NCAA Tournament teams and was a member of the 2011-12 squad that won the school’s first ACC title.
7. Alexander Johnson, C (2003-2006)
At 6’10” with a wide body, Alexander Johnson was a load to handle in the paint. Though Johnson often struggled to stay out of foul trouble, the Albany, Georgia native averaged 13.2 points and 7.4 rebounds-per-game as a junior. As a freshman, Johnson’s late block of North Carolina’s Sean May kept the Seminoles alive in what would be one of the more memorable comebacks in FSU history. Johnson entered the NBA Draft after his junior year where he would be taken by the Indiana Pacers.
6. Bernard James, C (2010-12)
A junior college transfer and a former Air Force Sargent, Bernard James transformed himself into one of the premier shot-blockers in the ACC and a very efficient post presence. James shot 63 percent from the field for his career and averaged nearly 11 points and better than eight rebounds and two blocks as a senior. James was instrumental in helping FSU reach the Sweet 16 of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and was a key piece of the 2012 ACC championship team. At the age of 27, James was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Chris Singleton was one of the nation’s top defenders at Florida State. (Getty Images)
5. Chris Singleton, F (2008-11)
A McDonald’s All-American out of high school, Chris Singleton blossomed into one of the nation’s premier defenders and helped FSU reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons on campus. As a junior, Singleton averaged better than 13 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and a pair of steals per-game. Singleton was FSU’s leading scorer as a junior and in the second game of the season against UNC-Greensboro, Singleton recorded a triple-double finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals. After helping the Seminoles reach the Sweet 16 in 2011, Singleton was taken in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.
4. Michael Snaer, G (2009-13)
Michael Snaer was a McDonald’s All-American in high school who transformed into perhaps the most clutch Seminole ever. Snaer hit seven game-winning shots in the last 10 seconds over his final two seasons at FSU including a buzzer-beater at Duke to snap a 45-game home winning streak by the Blue Devils. Snaer led the Seminoles in scoring in each of his final two seasons and scored a team-high 18 points in Florida State’s ACC Championship victory over North Carolina in 2012. Snaer was named second team All-ACC as a junior and third team as a senior.
3. Tim Pickett, G (2002-04)
A junior college transfer, Tim Pickett spent just two seasons in Tallahassee, but finished his career averaging nearly 17 points-per-game and 2.6 steals. As a senior, Pickett helped engineer upsets over ranked teams North Carolina, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. After being selected to the ACC’s second team as a junior, Pickett was a first-teamer as a senior. Pickett not only carried the Seminoles offensively, but led the ACC in steals as a junior. Pickett was also the conference’s leader in three-pointers made as a senior. Pickett would have only a brief NBA career after being selected in the second round by the New Orleans Hornets.
Toney Douglas led Florida State to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years. (Getty Images)
2. Toney Douglas, G (2006-09)
After being named SEC Freshman of the Year at Auburn, Toney Douglas transferred to Florida State where he would become an All-ACC performer. After an injury-riddled sophomore year that would likely cost Florida State a NCAA Tournament berth, Douglas led Florida State in scoring in each of his final two seasons. As a senior, Douglas averaged 21.5 points-per-game and led the Seminoles to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years. After being named first team All-ACC in 2009, Douglas was selected 29th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Draft.
1. Al Thornton, F (2003-07)
Just a 1-star recruit from Perry, Georgia, Al Thornton would become the first NBA lottery pick under Coach Hamilton. After averaging just 2.8 points-per-game as a freshman, Thornton went on to average better than 16 points-per-game in each of his final two seasons. As a senior, Thornton averaged 19.7 points and 7.2 rebounds-per-game while shooting 53 percent from the field. In his regular season finale at Miami, Thornton put up a career-high 45 points as the Seminoles rallied to beat their rivals to the south. After making the ACC’s second team as a junior, Thornton finished second to Boston College’s Jared Dudley for ACC Player of the Year as a senior and became just the third Seminole to be named first team All-ACC.
