FSU Basketball: Reaction from Leonard Hamilton post-game interview
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU basketball coach Leonard Hamilton getting unfairly criticized for post-game interview with Dana Jacobson.
FSU basketball surpassed all expectations this season even before they made their NCAA Tournament run to the Elite 8.
The Noles lost three players to the NBA and beat the likes of Florida, UNC, Miami, Louisville and Clemson while finishing (9-9) in arguably the toughest conference in the country.
FSU then proceeded to win three consecutive games as underdogs of one point, six points and five points before covering the spread against No. 3 seed Michigan.
The Michigan game was a game in which FSU mostly beat itself with a ton of unforced turnovers that robbed them of scoring opportunities.
The Noles were down four points with 11 seconds left in the game and decided not to foul which has drawn criticism from a lot of folk towards coach Leonard Hamilton.
He was asked about the decision not to foul by reporter Dana Jacobson which can be seen below:
Jacobson’s Opinion
Coach Hamilton spoke to me minutes after an emotional @FSUHoops loss. It was the right question to ask. He showed emotion & I appreciate him talking through it w/me instead of walking off. He was nothing but professional w/me throughout this weekend as I believe I was with them.
— Dana Jacobson (@danajacobson) March 25, 2018
Thoughts
First of all, I wanna give props to Leonard Hamilton for not walking off during that interview. It was a fair question and he probably could have answered it with better demeanor.
You can tell he started to walk off and thought better of it and people are not giving him credit for that when his team just lost a hard-fought battle that went down to the wire.
The fact of the matter is the game was all but over. If FSU fouled, Michigan would have gotten two shots and even if they missed BOTH free throws the Noles would have had to go the length of the floor and hit a three or a two point basket.
They would have had to foul again and hoped Michigan missed both free throws again just so they would have the chance to go the length of the floor and hit another three pointer just to tie the game.
The Noles had NO timeouts remaining which Hamilton pointed out in the interview. I know we’re taught to play until the buzzer sounds, but let’s be real the chances of those scenario unfolding were about as good as me hitting the lottery tomorrow.
The wasted possessions and some questionable shots in the first half are what beat FSU, not the decision to not foul at the end of the game.
Next: Leonard Hamilton Deserves Praise For 2018 Season
Props to FSU basketball for a great season with most of the team returning for next year.