‘Florida State’s Change of Fortune’
A long time top college football program, the Florida State Seminoles have fallen on hard times of late. At 2-6, alongside Syracuse at the bottom of the ACC, all is not good in Tallahassee. A couple of years ago they broke a 36 year run of bowl games with a 5-7 record that made them ineligible for the postseason. It was only in 2013 that they went undefeated and won the national championship.
Much has been said about dissension between the football program and the athletic department, the mess Jimbo Fisher left behind when he departed for Texas A&M, the dearth of funds for keeping up with the likes of Alabama and Clemson, and a toxic football culture. The program is on its third coach in 4 years, and the bleeding shows no signs of stopping.
But a remarkable thing is happening on the other side of the athletic campus…in the basketball program. Florida State football fans should take a moment to dry their tears and admire the work coach Leonard Hamilton has quietly done in building a powerhouse. In recent years the hoops program has made some noise with major wins and runs in March Madness. But last season was something truly special, winning the ACC for the first time in their history while securing a ranking of fourth in the country heading into the ultimately doomed national championship playoffs.
Then, a week ago they saw two of their players drafted: Patrick Williams fourth overall, and Devin Vassell at number 11. A better showing than bluebloods Duke, North Carolina, Kansas or Kentucky. It would seem the school has arrived in the world of basketball just when things haven’t looked worse for fortunes on the gridiron.
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