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Leonard Hamilton stepping down as Florida State head coach at end of season, program announces
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Leonard Hamilton is stepping down as Florida State’s head basketball coach at the completion of the 2024-25 basketball season, the program announced Monday.
Hamilton, 76, is FSU basketball’s winningest coach in program history. He has a 434-290 leading the Seminoles since 2002. Florida State is 13-9 in the 2024-25 campaign, with a 4-7 record in ACC play.
I am deeply thankful for the tremendous support of our fans, alumni, and everyone associated with Florida State throughout my time here,” Hamilton said in a released statement. “I am proud of the quality of the young men that it was my privilege to lead, for their faith in this program and in their belief in the philosophy that we tried to instill in them over the years. I have been blessed beyond words for the opportunity and the experience we’ve had here.
“My family and I truly love this place, this institution, and its people. I’m very fortunate to be able to have given this job my all with no regrets. Every head coach inherits a legacy and is obligated to leave the job better than they inherited it. I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish here over the last 23 seasons. We were a consistent contender, and we created success for our players during their time here. So many of them have gone on to be successful in life. I hope that it will be remembered as my legacy. I look forward to working with our administration during this transition and being as helpful as possible through this process.
Under Hamilton, Florida State made the NCAA Tournament 8 times (2009, ’10, ’11, ’12, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’21). The Noles reached the Elite 8 in 2018 and followed that up with a Sweet 16 berth in 2019.
FSU was considered a national title contender in 2020 before the college basketball season was canceled due to COVID-19. Florida State made the Sweet 16 again in 2021 but has not played postseason basketball in the last 3 years.
Hamilton’s FSU resume includes 19 NBA Draft selections, with 9 first-round picks. He was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2009, ’12 and ’20.
In December, a group of former FSU basketball players filed a lawsuit against Hamilton alleging the coach did not deliver on promised NIL payments.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
