Virginia Tech Florida State basketball preview

#45 R.P.I. Florida State @ #78 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

Virginia Tech men’s hoops hosts the team in the oblong spheroid 2018 pigskin one-hole as the sunshine state invades our midwinter Cassell this Saturday afternoon at high noon vs. the Seminoles of Florida State.

The Hokies are Atlantic Coast hurting a bit of late and this has this O&M writer wondering out-loud regarding our March post-season fate? Though yes, that is me putting the cart in front of the horse -yet again- and getting a bit ahead of myself; imagine that. Still yet, at a likewise 13 up and 5 down and basically hovering right on a top-25 national ranking this is no easy -much less gimmie- homesteading game. Nevertheless, who will win? Read on, to find, out…

Florida State Head Coach: James Leonard Hamilton: age=69, 517–410 (.558) overall, 317–200 (.613) at Florida State.
$2,250,000.oo

Baller Hamilton played college basketball at the University of Tennessee at Martin; where he had the tag of an outburst scorer (55 max’, their all-time single game mark).

After this Leo’ went into coaching and won the 1978 NCAA Championship under old-school Coach Joe B. Hall at Kentucky. He is a two-time A.c.c. Coach of the Year (2oo9, 2o12) and he is also the first coach to be named coach of the year in both the Big East (Miami Hurricane, 1995, 1999), and the A.c.c. His teams have qualified for seven NCAA tournaments and eight N.I.T.’s. He was the old-school U.P.I. National Coach of the Year in 1995 for da U; and he has won two conference championships (1 B.E., 1 A.c.c.).

Coach Leo’ is the Winningest Coach in Florida State History (27o wins) and the
8th all-Time Winningest Coach in A.c.c. History (27o wins). He also coached one season for the Washington Bullet’s, though was un-retained by #45 M.J. himself. Leo -a Master’s degree holder his ownself- is an ace coach in the FSU.edu and former classrooms as more than 94%t of his players have earned their degrees. Bravo Leo! And the Coach Hamilton coaching tree has already sired eight other D-1 men’s head coaches. Very Pat Riley ‘esque; as Coach Hamilton teams’ have enjoyed a stinging defensive rep’ for many years.

Hamilton’s induction into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame marks the fifth Hall of Fame he will be a member of during his illustrious career. He is also a member of the Austin Peay State University, University of Tennessee at Martin and University of Miami athletic Hall of Fames.  Hamilton received the 2015 Alumnus of Distinction award from Gaston (N.C.) College at its 50th Anniversary Gala on May 16, 2015.

Leo.edu earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Tennessee-Martin in 1971 and received his Master’s Degree in Physical and Health Education from Austin Peay State in 1973.

Daddy Leo’ is married to Claudette Hamilton. Claudette is a volunteer tutor, and they have two children: Lenny, 20, a musician; and daughter Allison, 5.

F.S.U. at a glance:

  • 12th in offensive rebounding (12.75 o-rpg)!
  • 20th in FG percentage D (39.3% allowed).
  • 24th in scoring O (84.1 ppg).
  • 27th in swats (5.4 bpg).
  • 33rd in 3-point percentage D (31% allowed).
  • 41st in assists (16.6 apg).
  • 53rd in swipes (7.7 spg).
  • (only one national ranking worse than 218th, FT-shooting (68%) @265th).

Seminole Returning Starters=1

Florida State Strengths:

  • This is a tall, and stop-unit athletically gifted club.
  • Terance Mann is da main-man down in Tallahassee; as Terance paces the ‘Noles in three different major categories. The 6′6″, 205 lb., junior season Wing leads F.S.U. in scoring at 15.5 ppg, on a Sizzlean FG percentage (59.4%) and in board-work at 6.4 rpg. That’s all; no big deal, nothing to see here— and that’s not half bad from a kid with a needs “to expand his offensive game” tag. Now mix in 70% FT-shooting and 30% from downtown and you have just that, an expanding game that might just expand all the way into an overseas pay-stub. As this Mann can get to the basket; he’s equal parts Two and/or Three; he can offensively rebound. This Mann is also durable (88 consecutive game streak); he’s a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) at Florida State; and said to be a tremendous character off-court for it. Mann was ranked no.43 in America outta high school according to ESPN; the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year in the state of New Hampshire in 2015; and said to field a very high basketball I.Q. to boot. Terance is named after his grandmother, Terancia…his dad, Eustace (never ever read that one anywhere else, before my reposed V.P.I. ’52 pop’s), was an avid soccer player in his prime. May St.Eustace (the Jägermeister emblem inspiration) super bless!!! Neat kid; mix in being third in steals (1.4 spg) and dropping 2.9 apg and it kinda reads like someone ran a sporting set of Excel crosstabs on a box score and Terance was output. (UPDATE: “PROBABLE”, concussion).

    “O’, deer, God!”
  • If Big East yesteryear Big basketball is your thang you’ve come to the right skyscraper, place; as 14′4″ and 478 lbs. says so! That’s what the Center rotation of: first year Ike Obiagu and r-Jr. year Christ Koumadje bring to the Seminole Pivotal table down-low. Length, size, stretch… in the G.State.shoot fb.com backcourt selfie era; this is the answer to: “where’s the beef?” As nearly, ~13 ppg, ~10 rpg and ~5 bpg does not middle-work suck. One #21, 7′4″, 233 lb. Jr. year Koumadje is a scrabble point triple-double surname and very fitting for any imported true-Five from N’Djamena, Chad. Cee.K’ is said to be a shot blocking machine. Koumadje’s shooting is down from last year by ~7%, all the way to 59% from the floor. Although Kou’ has added about 12 lbs. of right mass since we saw him last as he was kinda string-bean looking last year. And yet he still looks like he could (easily) add another 10 lbs. of sinew this year. Same as a couple of previews ago… Koumadje won a national championship at Montverde Academy a few years back. Height runs in his family with a 6′4″ mum and a 7′3″, uncle; wow! And Coach Ham’ says Koumadje has improved on offense as much as anyone he’s ever coached; though he has been dinged up for most of 2017 earlier this season.
  • 6′6″, 202 lb., Sr., S/G Brian Angola-Rodas brings you a silky smooth second-best 14.8 ppg on a nifty 42% from range and 82% from the charity-stripe. As the vibe here is that A.Rod. is that this versatile scorer has added nearly 11 ppg to his career average and that’s what I call going out in style. Such could also (possibly) be called: Most Improved at the March A.c.c. post-season awards ceremony as well. As this is a kid who had never quite lived up to all his “potential” hypes; though he had some less than coachable and yet outburst type scorer scholastic reps -plural- in tow to boot. Brian is also said to be the alpha-leader of the ‘Noles roundball team and to have a tremendous sense of compassion for his teammates and coaches alike. And we’ve all  said and had much worse things said about us than that. Way to rally Mister Angola-Rodas; PROPS @Brian for going out; all-right.

Florida State Weaknesses:

  • Top-3 scorers and two other guys who combined for 60 blocks all gone | and only 2 seniors ball here.
  • Junior, 6′4″, 2-Guard PJ Savoy (right knee) is listed as: “QUESTIONABLE” here; so are his 5.5 ppg and 1.3 rpg in relief.  Savoy is a long-range specialist who provides air cover for the troops down low. Last year Savoy took 114 shot attempts, 100 of which from 20′9″ or beyond— as this guy is a court spreader through and through.
  • Three double-digit offensive scorers are gone and this from an stanched 2017 offensive flow that was not all that staunch in the first place.
  • All world recruit M.J. Walker and his 7.2 ppg on 36% may not be disappointing; technically speaking; nonetheless, they are not entirely, appointing; either. As this chiseled 6′5″, 205 lb. soaring, scoring, leaping athletic freak was said to be 1-n-done by everyone of my preview mag’s. A legit ***** (5-star) specimen type recruit; with a high school’ rep’ for being a bullying type scorer. (sky)-Walker was the no.8 baller in the nation in hoops (ESPN); and only had football scholarship offers from Clemson, Miami (Fla.) and Michigan…as he was an outstanding dual threat athlete as a Fs and as a Wr. Kinda a ‘bron’bron with more of a finishing ‘tude; and yah; mum’s won the national (hoops) title at Hampton whereas her baby-boy only won 4-Georgia States’. The sky’s prolly still the limit here; even if M.J.’s early start has not been quite so stratospheric… yet.

‘nole Bench: (depth=5 or 6 deep)

#12, 6′8″, 218 lb., final year Forward Phil Cofer drops you a steadying 12.7 ppg and is actually second in rebounding at 5.9 caroms per contest. 39% from beyond the arc is pretty dang solid for a home position Four —this from a kid with an offensive rebounding tag (36 thus far) who finishes hard at the rim. His mum (Reba) ran ball at Tennessee for the national champion Lady Vols and his old man (Michael) only played football at Tennessee and then in the N.F.L in 1983. Pops played 10 seasons in the N.F.L., all with the DET.Lions and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1988. Dang… so yah; the Human Genome Athletics Project is most willing here indeed. That and Phil’ (who has a history of ankle surgeries (Godspeed)) also has his very own giving back philanthropic video; impressive; may St.Philip bless and intercede.

Aforementioned 7′, 244 lb. nugget year Ike is a Abuja, Nigeria native, and he was the no.47 baller overall per 247Sports. The book here says that Ike is super mobile and can get up and down the floor with ease. Ike rebounds outside of his area very well. He’s also a game changing shot blocker. He finishes on the dunk, and 53% shooting speaks to this. “I like Ike” and so does 1952 (the year); and Coach Ham’.

What does VT really need here to get up off the schnide???

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Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Seminoles who could start @Tech=4.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… well, I’m getting no less worried that this 2018 men’s hoops team is the coach J.J. 7-o opening version that got offensively figured out in Atlantic Coast terms when the chips got big-n-blue.

As we must shoot well from the outside; to have any real A.c.c. chance(s) vs. most anyone we play. As unlike last season the A.c.c. is back up a notch and beyond J.Rob’ a penetrator we ain’t gots when opposing defenses pressure or crowd our outside shot(s). Ditto we surely miss LeDay’s post-ups and Allen’s coach-in-waiting court generalship. Both heady players both chew nails spit glass alpha dawggs.

To put that another way… who has any of that in 2018 roster terms?
Me, neither…

 ***

the skinny

Virginia Tech and coach Buzz are +2 in rest here and fresh legs never once hurting a jump-shooting or outside oriented team. Nor has bringing springy fresh legs to bomb 3’s at home on +2 in rest.

Likewise being 91% at home on the season when hosting a .4oo team as a visitor. “Welcome to our house”…or not so much???

the call

…I authour that because Florida State presents bad match-ups -if/when- they pioneer or exploit said bad match-ups to the fullest. As they could, and prolly even would pawnn us down-low if they have the original school George Mikan sense to play Inside-Out off or their 14′4″ twin-towering bigs on the regular. (mid-script: I did not even include the coming on 6′11″ kid; either…)

Which 80‘s TV character does this remind you of?

And even if the Seminole’s are backcourt 2018 piggy?

They do have the size and athleticism to pressure our outside shooters.

That and our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide say F.S.U. by seven.


All that being rightfully said… Florida State is a much more pace friendly club this go-round that in the Len.Ham’ past.

However, coach Buzz and companies allowing 48.1% overall and 44.7% from downtown in our last five is just not a good look.

Though that higher R.P.M. pace set from Florida State this year tells me that he who makes last, laughs last, here. As this could even be a good day to call for some extra innings in OPT terms if you feel froggy enough…

(56% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech
=8o, Florida State=82

LETS GO!

Hokies!

 bourbonstreet**