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6th Season At Florida State (87-71, .551) It is often said that a man is measured by how he lives his life and how many people he touches.
Leonard Hamilton, who is in his sixth season as the head coach at Florida State, measures up very well.
Hamilton has built his life around his family and his players. With each passing year, the foundation on which he has built his life grows and solidifies. He continues to add and nurture the foundation while, at the same time, building a structure that is unmatched by many others. With each passing year and with each experience that challenges him, Hamilton lives his life to the fullest and touches more people in ways that not only make them better people and but allows them to realize their potential.
Helping people realize their potential is especially true, when it comes to Hamilton's basketball players at Florida State. His players are successful in the classroom and on the court during their careers as Seminoles and develop into successful men by the time the earn their degrees and move into the professional world.
Hamilton has guided three of his first five teams into postseason play and has returned the Seminole program to the national spotlight. During his tenure, Florida State has defeated 10 nationally ranked teams, vastly improved its stature in the Atlantic Coast Conference and become a pipeline to the NBA. Hamilton's team are now annually competing for upper division finishes in the ACC and the Seminoles are one of only two teams in the ACC that has had at least one player drafted into the NBA in each of the last four seasons.
Hamilton guided the Seminoles to a 22-13 record, to a berth in the quarterfinal round of the NIT and victories over three nationally ranked teams during the 2006-07 season. He was at the 2007 NBA Draft to watch as Al Thornton - one of his prized pupils -- became only the second Draft Lottery selection in school history as he was picked with the 14th overall selection by the Los Angeles Clippers. During the season, 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.
Coaches are measured by accomplishments both on off the court and Hamilton's program is on course to achieve the goals he established when he arrived in Tallahassee in March of 2002.
Hamilton was hired on March 19, 2002 to return the Seminole men's basketball program to the glory it had earned when it played for the 1972 national championship and regularly competed for, and won, conference championships during the 1980's and early 1990's.
Hamilton was the Washington Wizards' head coach in 2001 and the head coach at the University of Miami for ten years prior to that (1991-00) when he became the seventh head coach in Florida State men's basketball history.
In his final season at Miami, Hamilton guided the Hurricanes to their second straight 20-win season, a share of the Big East regular season championship and the school's first trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes finished 23-11, including a 13-3 conference record, and were ranked 23rd in the nation in the final Associated Press poll and 20th in the final USA Today/ESPN poll. Miami's 23 wins matched the team's 1998-99 total and, at the time, tied the school record for victories in a season.
Under Hamilton's leadership, Miami became one of the nation's top programs, advancing to postseason play five times in his final six seasons including three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1998-2000. Miami's winning records in his final six seasons meant the Hurricanes joined Syracuse and Connecticut as the only Big East schools to have an overall winning record from 1995-2000. The Hurricanes' 48-22 Big East mark over his last four seasons tied Connecticut for the best conference record over that period. Over his last two seasons, Miami registered a league-best 28-6 conference record for an .824 winning percentage.
In his final season with Miami, Hamilton's Hurricanes recorded three wins over ranked teams including a 74-70 home win over No. 18 St. John's, marking the sixth straight season Miami had defeated a ranked opponent in the Miami Arena.
In the 40 seasons prior to Hamilton's arrival, the Hurricanes reached the post-season just four times including one NCAA tournament appearance (1960). In his ten seasons at Miami, Hamilton led the Hurricanes to five postseason appearances.
Along with the rise of the Hurricanes' program, Hamilton's players also continued to develop and win individual awards. In 1999-2000, guard Johnny Hemsley earned All-Big East Second-Team honors while center Mario Bland earned All-Conference Third-Team honors
In 1998-99, Hemsley and forward Tim James earned All-Big East First-Team honors. The Hurricanes joined Syracuse (eight times), Georgetown (twice), Pittsburgh, St. John's and Villanova as the only schools to have two players earn All-Big East First-Team honors in the same season. In ten seasons under Hamilton, the Hurricanes had 13 All-Conference selections.
In 1998-99, Tim James was named Big East Co-Player of the Year, along with Connecticut's Richard Hamilton, and Johnny Hemsley was selected as the league's Most Improved Player.
Miami's rise began in 1994-95 when Hamilton led the Hurricanes to the greatest single season turnaround in Big East history. Picked to finish at the bottom of the Big East Conference standings, Hamilton guided the Hurricanes to a fifth-place finish and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament - Miami's first post-season appearance in 31 years.
Miami set a Big East record in 1995 for the greatest single-season improvement in league history. The Hurricanes' nine-win conference win increase tied Louisiana Tech for the best in the nation. Miami's eight-win overall improvement tied for the third best single season increase in school history.
At the conclusion of the 1995 season, Hamilton was named the United Press International National Coach of the Year.
His peers also recognized Hamilton as the league coaches tabbed him Big East Conference Coach of the Year for the first time.
Hamilton took home even more hardware at the end of the 1999 season. He was named Big East Coach of the Year for the second time joining Jim Calhoun, Lou Carnesecca, Jim Boeheim, John Thompson, P.J. Carlesimo and Al Skinner as the only coaches to win the award more than once. Hamilton was later honored as the Eastern Basketball Coach of the Year. In 2000, he was named the Black Coaches Association (BCA) Coach of the Year.
Hamilton understands that defense wins championships. Under his tutelage, the Hurricanes became one of the nation's top defensive teams. Miami ranked nationally in field goal percentage defense in each of his last four seasons including a No. 1 national ranking in 1997-98. In his final season, the Hurricanes ranked 22nd in the nation in field goal percentage defense holding teams to 39.4 percent shooting. In 1998-99, the Hurricanes ranked 13th in the nation, holding teams to 38.4 percent shooting. Since his arrival at Florida State, the Seminoles have become the toughest team to score against and led the league in scoring defense in 2003.
The 1997-98 Hurricanes ranked No. 1 in the nation in field goal percentage defense holding opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the floor. The 1996-97 Hurricanes ranked No. 6 in the nation in field goal percentage defense holding opponents to just 38.0 percent shooting.
Hamilton has continued that tradition since coming to Florida State. The Seminoles ranked seventh in the nation in field goal percentage defense and 16th nationally in steals per game in 2002-03. Tim Pickett, a Hamilton recruit and All-ACC First-Team selection, led the conference in steals with 82 during the 2003 season. He became only the third player in school history to lead the ACC in steals. During the 2003-04 season, the Seminoles finished eighth nationally in 3-point field goals made per game and 21st in field goals percentage defense. In addition, Pickett finished tenth in 3-point field goals made per game and 18th nationally in steals per games. The Seminoles ranked first in the ACC and ninth in the nation in 2007 as they set as school record for free throw shooting percentage.
Despite all his success on the court, Hamilton never lost sight of his No. 1 priority: the student-athlete. His number one goal is to help prepare his players for the challenges they will encounter in life. In his ten seasons at Miami, 28 of Hamilton's 31 seniors received their degrees. In four seasons at Florida State, he has helped 13 of 15 seniors earn their degrees including Pickett, a 2004 NBA second round draft selection of the New Orleans Hornets.
For his work both on and off the court, Coach Hamilton was honored as one of four finalists for the 2000 Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award. The award is given annually to a coach who best exemplifies Coach John Wooden's philosophy of emphasizing the fact that impacting the life of a student is more significant than any winning percentage. He was named one of Tallahassee's Top 33 citizens in 2004 by the Tallahassee Democrat and inducted into the Gaston County (N.C.) Hall of Fame in 2007.
The induction into the Gaston County Hall of Fame marked a monumental occasion for Hamilton who earned induction into his fourth collegiate Hall of Fame. In addition to being honored by his hometown in 2007, he is also member of athletic Hall of Fame at the University of Miami, the University of Tennessee at Martin where he received his bachelor's degree and served as the captain of the basketball team as an undergraduate player and at Austin Peay State University where he began his coaching career and served as an assistant coach for the Governors. Hamilton helped lead Austin Peay to two Ohio Valley Conference Championships and recruited and coached James "Fly" Williams who is still the only two-time All-American in school history.
Hamilton arrived at Miami from Oklahoma State where he spent four years rebuilding the Cowboys' program. He led them to consecutive appearances in the NIT, the first back-to-back postseason appearances for OSU since 1953-54. While at Oklahoma State, he recruited and coached current Florida State assistant coach Corey Williams.
Prior to his tenure at Oklahoma State, Hamilton was on the staff at the University of Kentucky where he spent 12 seasons with one of the top programs in the country. From 1974-80, he served as an assistant coach, and in 1980 he was honored by being named the first associate head coach in Kentucky basketball history.
During his 12 seasons at Kentucky, the Wildcats registered a 296-83 (.781) record, won eight SEC regular season championships, two SEC tournament titles, went to three Final Fours and won the national title in 1978.
Hamilton's coaching career began at Austin Peay State University where he served as a graduate assistant from 1971-73 and then as a full-time assistant from 1973-74. The Governors won back-to-back Ohio Valley Championships in Hamilton's last two seasons at the school. Hamilton recruited and coached James "Fly" Williams, the 1974 conference Player of the Year and two-time all-conference selection. Williams was a two-time consensus All-America in 1973 and 1974, the only two-time All-America in school history. The Governors won the OVC Championship and played in the NCAA Tournament in 1973.
Hamilton's legacy extends across the nation as seven of his former assistant coaches have moved on to become head coaches at the Division I level. Included on the list are Tim Carter (South Carolina State), Dwight Freeman (Norfolk State), Randy Lee (Maine Machias), Dickey Nutt (Arkansas State), John Phillips (Tulsa) and Bill Self (Kansas).
He played at Gaston (NC) Community College where he set a school record by scoring 54 points in a game, and later at the University of Tennessee-Martin where he is a charter member of the school's Hall of Fame. At both schools, he served as a team captain. Additionally, while at Tennessee-Martin, Hamilton received both the team Most Valuable Player Award and the Best Defensive Player award his senior season.
He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Tennessee-Martin in 1971 and received a master's degree in physical and health education from Austin Peay State in 1973.
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