Coming off a 1998-99 campaign that saw them finish four games under .500 and eighth in the ACC, the Florida State men's basketball team hopes to rebound this year under third-year Coach Steve Robinson. But the Seminoles face a daunting task if they hope to improve upon last year's mark; they are up against the usual rigors of ACC and early season non-Conference foes that include the likes of Temple, Florida and Auburn.
If Robinson's 1999-2000 squad has one bright spot, it's experience. The Seminoles return 10 lettermen - including four starters - from last year's roster that earned praise as "the hardest working team in Florida State history" from their head coach.
The 'Noles have experience in both senses of the word, as they not only welcome back several players but also have the added experience of the recent adversity the program has faced. Robinson said he sees the latter as a character-builder for his elderly squad.
"We have for the first time [a situation] where our older guys are able to help teach some of our younger guys," he said. "In our first couple years, everyone was just fending for themselves and so they really never had a chance to help another person. To me, that's a sign of improvement, that they feel confident enough in what they're doing to explain or help teach the other players."
Senior forwards Ron Hale and Damous Anderson will be the main "teachers" as well as the core of the Florida State offensive arsenal. Their production will figure prominently in whether the Seminoles can defy expectation or merely live up to their dismal preseason ranking of second-to-last by the ACC media.
There's no beating around the bush with this year's FSU team - the go-to guy is undoubtedly 6-foot-9, 210-pound senior Hale, a third-team, All-ACC selection in his breakout junior season. He ranked among the top 10 in the ACC last season in scoring (16.0 points-per-game), rebounding (5.6 rebounds-per-game), blocked shots (1.0) and free throw percentage (.800), and he led the ACC in scoring in Conference games for most of the year before finishing fourth in that category at 18.3 ppg.
Hale, however, will assume a somewhat different role this year, as he likely will see time at shooting guard instead of small forward. He said he realizes and welcomes the challenge of being the team's only legitimate superstar.
"When you know you're the main guy on the team they're going to be coming after night in and night out, it's going to be tougher to score," Hale said. "That's why I've just got to show my maturity and my years of experience and just battle through that."
"I think Ron Hale has come of age," Robinson said. "I think the young man has proven his worth to this basketball team ... He gives us good effort, he has a lot of versatility and I think it means a lot to our program to have a young man like that."
Joining Hale at the swingman spot will be 6-foot-7 senior Anderson, who finished third on the team last year in scoring (11.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.1 rpg) after transferring to FSU mid-season. He ranked second in the Conference and fifth nationally in field goal percentage last year at an impressive 60.5 percent. Anderson said he feels at home this year, having completed his transitional year at FSU.
"Last year I arrived in the middle of the year and had to go through the process and learn the plays," he said. "For a while, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. But now since I've had a chance to work with the team for a while ... it'll help me a lot."
Florida State's traditionally weak frontcourt will be bolstered this year by incoming first-year big men Nigel Dixon, Rodney Tucker and Mike Mathews. Dixon, a 6-foot-10, 350-pound forward/center, averaged 15 points and 11 boards a game at Edgewater High School in Orlando. Mathews, a Tallahassee native, is considered one of the top 15 big men in the nation by most recruiting publications.
Justin Mott, a 6-foot-10 senior center and a 23-game starter last year, will round out an FSU frontcourt that is significantly stronger this season but is still easily the team's most vulnerable area.
The Seminole backcourt will be solidified by Delvon Arrington, a 5-foot-11 junior who returns as one of the top point guards in the Conference, having finished third in the ACC in assists (6.0 assists-per-game) and steals (2.1 steals-per-game) while registering 8.1 ppg.
Expectations for the Florida State squad are by no means high, but with heightened production from their returning players and the rapid development of their young big men, the Seminoles may prove some of their critics wrong.
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