Florida State Men's Basketball: Looking Into Guard Play for the Seminoles

Big questions were heading into the offseason for the Florida State Seminoles. The team finished the 2023-24 season with a 17-16 record while having a 10-10 record during ACC play. Sure, this past season was an improvement from winning only nine games during the 2022-23 campaign. However, there was still room for improvement for head coach Leonard Hamilton’s team.  

The coaching staff had a busy summer, to say the least. As multiple players from the roster entered the transfer portal, the task was to bring new bodies to the team. The Seminoles don’t just recruit any type of player. They’re looking for top-tier talent who can come into the program, understand their role, and make an impact. 

One of the highlights from the off-season was the signing of the guards. Perimeter scoring was something that the Seminoles needed to improve upon. Last season, they shot 31 percent from three, which was one of the worst in the ACC. With the way Florida State thrives off scoring in transition, they must figure out a way to utilize the three-point line more. 

One of the biggest guard signees over the summer was Daquan Davis from Overtime Elite. Playing on a big stage allowed more eyes to be drawn on Davis. With that being said, the coaching staff began their recruitment process. Coach Hamilton is excellent at gaining the trust of young players. He’s created a great environment at Florida State over the years and continues to develop young prospects. 

Davis is another creator who can help the Seminoles as a scorer and playmaker. Depending on what lineups he’s placed in, he can be a huge compliment to Jamir Watkins and take away the ball-handling duties. Davis is electric on the open floor as he displays his quickness as well as his fast decision-making. 

Another electric wing is the freshman sensation AJ Swinton from Bishop O’Connell High School. Florida State got a steal with his commitment to the program. Several schools across the country were interested in Swinton. To tell the truth, how could anyone blame them? This was a high-flying talent who had a bright future ahead of him. Luckily, Swinton chose Florida State to continue his journey. 

“It’s called Big Guard U for a reason,” Swinton stated in an interview. “They produce a lot of great guards.” At 6’6, Swinton is a jack of all trades at the wing position. Sure, he can jump out of the gym and deliver one highlight play after another. However, Swinton is also an elite three-level scorer. With the ball in his hands, he has tremendous size and balance to get to his spots and elevate on his shot. Whether he plays with the first or second unit, Swinton can be a spark on the floor for the Seminoles.

Another key freshman is the hometown hero Jalen Crawford. Considering both of his parents were Florida State Alums, it was only right that the six-foot guard carried on the family tradition. Crawford had a great high school career at Maclay High School and helped his school win a District Championship as a junior. After High School, Coach Hamilton was the one who believed in Crawford and believed he could be valuable to the program. 

How is Crawford valuable to the team? He’s another guard who can take on ball-handling duties while being a setup man in the halfcourt offense. Crawford is a player who can adjust to any role he needs to play. He knows how to come into the game and make an immediate impact. The question is how much rotation time will Coach Hamilton give to his young freshman? Whether he gets consistent playing time or not, Crawford will look to make an impact for his team. 

With all of the freshmen that are joining the roster, there has to be a balance between the young and inexperienced and the older and more mature. Coach Hamilton and his coaching staff were able to add senior guards Bostyn Holt and Justin Thomas from the transfer portal. Again, the goal in the offseason was to be more of a perimeter threat. As upperclassmen, Holt and Thomas are two players who are experienced at the college level as well as snipers from the perimeter. 

Holt is joining his third program. He played two seasons at Utah before joining South Dakota for the 2023-24 season. Opportunity is key for a player like Holt and he wasn’t getting a lot of it at Utah. Once he transferred to South Dakota, that’s where college fans saw his entire skillset. Holt averaged 12.3 points on 45 percent shooting last season for the Coyotes. He scored 20+ points in five games last season which includes a 30-point outing against Eastern Washington. 

The beauty of Holt’s game is that he can be versatile with the ball in his hands. He’s shown to be a natural-born scorer as he can put the ball in the basket at all three levels. Standing at 6’7 makes Holt difficult to guard on the perimeter. His scoring prowess is one that Florida State will utilize through the course of this season. 

It’s been a few seasons since we last saw Justin Thomas on the basketball floor. He missed the entire 2023-24 season for UTSA due to injury. I’m sure many Seminole fans question his acquisition. Will he be available for the team? Will he be healthy enough to make an impact on the program? 

Those are questions we’ll have to wait to find the answer. Luckily, Thomas has shown to be a fan favorite among the coaching staff. During his only college season at Milwaukee, he averaged 7.3 points and shot 43 percent from three. When healthy, Thomas has shown to be a valuable presence on both ends. Defensively he can be a juggernaut as well with his quick hands and ability to play the passing lanes. 

It’s safe to say that Leonard Hamilton will not run out of guards. The Florida State Seminoles are loaded in the backcourt and will look to bring their best against other contenders in the ACC. It’s hard to grade Florida State’s offseason. Sure, they may have missed the mark on adding certain pieces to the team. However, the team passed in regards to acquiring key shooters and playmakers for their offense.