Why on earth would Alex Atkins still be employed by us next year? He obviously sucks at his job. Our veteran line has only gotten worse over time. Would Norvell really be stupid enough to keep him just to hold on to certain recruits? Does it even matter what recruits we land when Atkins hasn't shown the ability to develop anybody? I just cannot fathom how he could keep his job when he has been so awful at it.

FSU 73 Rice 65 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


The Good

With the win, FSU improves to 2-0 on the season. It is the 17th time FSU has started the season at 2-0 under Leonard Hamilton. It also improves FSU's record against Rice to 6-2 (in case you are interested and I'm sure your are, FSU's last game vs the Owls was in 1997 also a Seminole victory, 65-53). This was a game between two teams that have similarities. Both feature long and lanky athletes and both had a large roster turnover with double digit newcomers on the bench. Each team plays a lot of guys and tonight was no exception as FSU played 13 and Rice 11.

The defense. Leonard Hamilton called it solid tonight. And it was as the Seminoles numerous times held Rice scoreless for long periods of time. Such as the nearly 8 minute span from the 8:08 mark of the first half to 50 seconds left in the period. Consistent pressure forced Rice in to 17 turnovers, 13 in the first half that helped FSU build a 33-23 halftime lead.

There is no doubt about who the player of the game was, Jamir Watkins. Shooting 50% from the floor (7-14, 2-4) to go along with 14-22 FTs, Watkins for the second time in his FSU career recorded a game high 30 points. To go along with that he added 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 blocked shot. The senior made a statement right from the start scoring 8 of FSU's first 10 points. His performance puts him in the running for MVP of the Battleground 2K tournament. Should he win the award (depending on the outcome of the Auburn/Houston game) he will win ................... A MATTRESS!!!!! After not going to the line at all against Northern Kentucky, Watkins played much more physically taking on the contact. The result was drawing a lot of fouls.

Taylor Bol Bowen. While not scoring in double digits (just 6), he pulled down a game high 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Malique Ewin finally scoring his first points at FSU, 11, all in the second half coming at a point where the 'Noles needed to get separation from the Owls. . He also had 7 boards and added two assists. Rice constantly double teamed him every time he got the ball. But to Ewin's credit, he remained composed and made smart passes out of the double teams.

Plays of the game: Watkins' slam dunk off Bol Bowen's rebound and the quick outlet pass, 24-17. Watkins high in the air blocking Alem Huseinovic's shot with authority, 41-36. AJ Swinton's slam off the dart like alley oop pass from Justin Thomas, 46-40. Daquan Davis' one handed putback off of Bol Bowen's missed three pointer. Ewin's slam dunk to get FSU back the double digit lead, 62-52. Watkins slam dunk where the Rice defense looked like the parting of the Red Sea, 68-53.


The Bad

Jerry Deng dribbling. At 6-9 unless you are Magic Johnson, perhaps it would be best if you did not put the ball on the floor. And then he compounded the turnover by fouling the Owl who stole the ball.

The start to the second half that saw Rice go on a 9-0 run to close it to 33-32. Hamilton promptly called a time out.

Playing Jamir 35 minutes. Can't keep doing that every game.

You know Leonard, he is always not going to be pleased with something. In this case, being tougher on the boards and not making great decisions passing the ball. Also the offense needs work he said. Isn't that the case for every team all season long?


The Ugly

Memo to Bol Bowen: Recall last season when you were 7-33 from the arc? Tonight ...... 0-3. Please either make some or don't shoot them.

See if you can guess what this stat represents. 5-19, 26%. If you said three point shooting by FSU, you win. Unfortunately you will not be getting a mattress.

A game that tipped off at 7:01 EST finished at 9:34 EST. When you take 65 FTs combined, that is what you are going to get.

Anastasios Rozakeas checked in for his first playing time of the season with 1:47 left in the game. Exactly 8 seconds later he picked up his first career foul.


Up Next

Tarleton State (extra credit if you know their nickname) comes to town on Tuesday for a 7 PM tip off. The game will be shown on the ACCNX. The Texans (yes, that is their nickname which is very appropriate since they are located in Stephenville, Tx) are currently 0-2 having lost to SMU and Sam Houston, 96-62 and 91-62 respectively.

Wrap-up to fall softball from Patrick Nelson, who has some notes on the Seminoles and thoughts from Lonni Alameda:

as other programs push this recruitment nationally.

Watch the Colorado game today… could be one of our targets for OC.

Is this year as bad or worse that last year was good?

The FSU-ACC court case in Leon County will continue well into 2025.

I listened in on a Zoom for the FSU-ACC case on Friday afternoon. Peter Rush argued on behalf of FSU, while David Ashburn represented the ACC. These are the same attorneys as in prior court appearances.

Judge John Cooper allocated 150 days for discovery and depositions in the case (a state statute). Rush tried to argue that there “isn’t an enormous amount of discovery.”

Regardless, the ACC legal team's discovery must be presented by March 8.

FSU’s legal team will then have some time to reply after receiving the ACC’s response. The lawyers and Cooper discussed 30 days, but Rush said FSU's legal team wouldn't need nearly that much time.

“I’m doing my best to keep this case moving at a reasonable pace,” Cooper said.

FSU sports information:

Audrey Koenig put together one of the best individual performances you will ever see as the No. 24 Florida State volleyball team (17-6, 9-4) defeated Wake Forest (13-11, 5-8) in three sets (25-23, 25-23, 25-11) on Friday night at Tully Gym.

FSU came out strong in the first set, jumping to a quick 5-0 lead, but the set quickly became a back-and-forth battle. Despite several lead changes, the Seminoles maintained their composure with Koenig leading the offense with eight kills and Kyleene Filimaua adding four kills. Wake Forest led down the stretch at 22-21, but back-to-back kills from Koenig gave the Noles the lead, and Filimaua put down the final kill of the set to give the Noles the advantage.

The second set was equally competitive, with both teams exchanging momentum throughout. FSU found itself down 22-20, but a block from Iane Henke and Khori Louis tied the set at 22 then back-to-back hitting errors gave the Noles set point. The Demon Deacons cut it to one, but Louis finished the set off with a kill to give the Noles a 2-0 advantage in the match.

FSU dominated the third set from the start as Koenig put one of the most impressive service rallies you'll ever see. The Noles went on a 9-0 run with Koenig on the service line which included five aces from Koenig including a point where she had three consecutive aces. The Noles rolled in the set 25-11 to take the match.

Koenig had the best match of her career as she recorded 20 kills on 35 swings with just two errors to hit .514. Her 20 kills were the most of her career in a three-set match and tied for the most of any ACC player this season. Koenig also had a career-high eight aces which is the second-most aces ever in a match in Florida State history. Her eight aces are also tied for the second-most of any player this season in a three-set match.

Koenig wasn't the only player to make some history at Tully Gym on Friday night as Louis picked up 1,000th kill in the third set. Louis joins the late, great Brianna Barry as the only two Seminole middle blockers to reach 1,000 kills in the rally scoring era. Louis also becomes just the seventh player in school history to reach 1,000 kills in the rally scoring era.

Loren Robertson picked up her fourth double double of the season with 15 assists and 10 digs.

FSU will be back in action against NC State on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ACCNX.

FSU sports information:

Freshman Logan Robinson entered the record books with the third-fastest time in team history as the No. 22/RV Florida State swimming and diving team faced a pair of ranked opponents in No. 13/19 LSU and No. 20/RV Alabama on Friday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Robinson was one of four Seminoles to post a victory on Friday, along with graduate student Samantha Vear, junior Tommaso Baravelli and fellow freshman Mathias Christensen. Robinson also notched a runner-up finish, while Christensen and Vear’s days also included third-place showings at Alabama’s Don Gambril Olympic Pool in the Alabama Aquatic Center.

Senior Maddy Huggins was second in three events, two of them individually, to continue her strong start to the season. Senior Edith Jernstedt notched a trio of third-place finishes.

Christensen joined Robinson with top-10 times in school history on Friday. Robinson etched his name at No. 3 in the 200 yard butterfly, while Christensen’s mark, at No. 9 in the record books, came in the 200 breaststroke.

“We had some great performances today,” FSU coach Neal Studd said. “I am really excited that the women got the NCAA cut in the 200 medley relay. I am really happy with how we are performing.”

In the team’s first road meet of the season, FSU’s No. 22-ranked men lost to No. 19 LSU 161.5-138.5 and to No. 20 Alabama 191-109. Florida State’s women lost to Alabama 196.5-103.5 and to No. 13 LSU 201-99. Additionally, Alabama topped LSU, 167-133 in the men’s competition and 157.5-142.5 in the women’s event.

Robinson won the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:42.65. The fastest time by a Seminole since 2019 puts the first-year collegian at No. 3 in school history in the event, and he is just one of three swimmers to break the 1:43.00 mark. Robinson’s win on Friday came by 0.43 seconds over the runner-up from Alabama. Additionally, Robinson was second in the 100 butterfly in 46.95.

Christensen won the 200 individual medley and entered the record books in the 200 breaststroke. His 200 IM victory came in 1:45.86, winning by 0.26 seconds in the final individual event of the day. Christensen was third in the 200 breast in 1:57.09, which is ninth-fastest in FSU history.

Baravelli won the 200 breaststroke in 1:56.62. In a tight finish, he touched the wall just 0.12 seconds ahead of LSU’s second-place swimmer to help the Seminoles finish first and third.

On the 3-meter springboard, Vear earned her third win in four events in her two meets this season. Friday’s victory came with a score of 343.00 points, and she was more than 45 points ahead of LSU’s second-place diver. Vear began her day with a third-place finish on 1-meter with a score of 283.10.

The day began as the women’s 200 medley relay placed second with an NCAA A qualifying mark. Freshman Alice Velden, Huggins, graduate student Jenny Halden and senior Gloria Muzito finished in 1:36.05.

Huggins was second in a pair of events. First was the 100 breaststroke, with a time of 59.55, followed by the 200 breaststroke in 2:09.02.

Junior Max Williams earned a second-place finish in the 100 backstroke. He touched the wall in 46.74.

Jernstedt was third in three events, the 200 butterfly (1:56.31), the 100 butterfly (52.97) and the 200 individual medley (1:59.53). Third-place showings also were earned by a pair of divers, senior Isabel Gregersen on 3-meter (278.30) and freshman Hayden Schroeder on 1-meter (322.45).

Up next for the Seminoles is the Georgia Tech Invitational from November 22-24. The mid-season invite in Atlanta will be FSU’s last competition of the 2024 calendar year.

FSU sports information:

The No. 6 Florida State soccer team is set to face No. 3 Wake Forest in the semifinal round of the 2024 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship at WakeMed Soccer Park on Thursday evening. The 5:30 p.m. game will be televised on the ACC Network.

The Seminoles will look to advance to its fifth straight ACC Championship game.

FSU has been one of the most successful teams in recent history at the ACC Tournament. The Seminoles have claimed nine of the last 11 titles and won the last four championships. FSU is also unbeaten in its last 10 ACC Tournament games and reached the semifinal round for the seventh straight season; no other team has repeated back-to-back appearances since 2021.

Florida State and Wake Forest will meet for the second time this season after the Deacons ended FSU’s program best 32-game unbeaten streak in Winston-Salem. The last meeting in Cary, North Carolina, saw the two sides level after regulation at 1-1 in the 2021 ACC Semifinals. Defender Lauren Flynn equalized just before halftime and Maria Alagoa sent the Seminoles to a third straight conference title game with a 97th-minute golden goal.

FSU has recorded multi-goal performances in the past five ACC Tournament games dating back to 2022 and is currently averaging over three goals a game in the six-game winning streak since the weekend of dropping to Wake Forest. The Seminoles scored 29 goals in ACC play, one shy of the second most in program history.

Taylor Huff leads the squad in all scoring categories with 10 goals and nine assists for 29 total points. Huff became the fastest to reach 20+ points in the past five seasons and has already eclipsed her point tally from last season in six fewer games. Huff ranks among the conference’s best in points, goals, assists, shots on goal, and total shots.

Jordynn Dudley has continued to deliver offensive brilliance in her sophomore season. The reigning national freshman of the year has registered 19 points off six goals and seven assists in just 11 games played. Dudley is averaging over two points per game and leads the reigning champions in points scored in conference play. She also scored multiple goals for the United States to record a bronze medal at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup through the early stretch of the collegiate season.

The Seminole defense has held firm after losing several key defensive pieces to professional soccer. The backline has held nine shutouts throughout the season and has scored 12 goals with Kameron Simmonds and Mimi Van Zanten each scoring four goals. Redshirt freshman Addie Todd has made nearly 40 saves between the sticks and 25 stops in ACC play, one shy of Cristina Roque’s record in 2022.

The freshman class has performed brightly with a combined 62 total points, 21 goals and 20 assists. This marks the most freshmen goal contributions in the past five seasons across all three metrics. Wrianna Hudson leads the class with seven goals and five assists. Four of the six freshmen field players have contributed double-digit points inside 15 games.

The winner of the match will advance to the championship round and face either No. 1 Duke or No. 8 North Carolina on Sunday at noon.

Defensive end Nicolas Clayton who was on-campus for an official visit with FSU earlier this week will announce which school he will commit to at 3pm this afternoon. He will choose between Florida State, UCF, Tulane, Wisconsin and Nebraska. He cancelled his official visit to Illinois which was scheduled for this weekend during his visit to FSU.

FSU already has Javion Hilson committed at DE for 2025 and still has Jared Smith, Zion Grady and Jalen Wiggins on the board.

The reasons I put in a FutureCast for Clayton to FSU are this: He was offered late by FSU who wasted no time in getting him on-campus for an official visit. They could have slowed played this into the fall if they had reservations. Secondly, he cancelled his official visit to Illinois. And another reason would be because of where he now sits on FSU's defensive end board. There are some people who believe Wiggins will end up at DT in college, but he is being recruited as a defensive end and is committed to Florida. It is unlikely that FSU lands Jared Smith and there really isn't any clear indication that Grady has a real favorite going into this last official visit of the summer. He has visited Auburn, Tennessee since being on FSU's campus and is at Ohio State this weekend.

As I was sitting at my desk following Florida State's blowout loss against North Carolina at home, I thought back to early in the spring when staff continuity was a positive storyline for the team. I asked both coordinators about staff continuity during the spring coaches luncheon and looking back at their answers, it adds an interesting wrinkle to what has caused Florida State's horrendous season.


Story Link: https://floridastate.rivals.com/new...tball-s-staff-showing-a-pitfall-of-continuity

Just traded some messages with Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot four-star QB Carter Smith who told me his one official visit planned right now is to Wisconsin next week and then he's "figuring stuff out" with Florida State.

I don't know if this is cover if Tramell Jones flips to Florida or if Smith is talented enough to take a second one in the class or what's going on but thought it was noteworthy to pass along.

FSU sports information:

The No. 19 Florida State women’s basketball team (1-1) fell to Illinois (1-0) on Thursday night at the State Farm Center, 83-74.

Ta’Niya Latson led all scorers with 27 points, matching her total from Monday in the win over North Florida. Latson also had three assists and three steals.

Makayla Timpson, who played in her 100th career game as a Seminole, contributed 22 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks. Timpson secured a double-double for the 33rd time in her career, taking over sole possession of second place in Florida State history.

Timpson also tied her career high with 11 field goals made, shooting 61 percent from the floor.

O’Mariah Gordon added 14 points, three assists and two steals.

The Fighting Illini, who received votes in the opening polls, used the home court advantage early to take the early 20-10 lead in the first quarter.

In the second, the Seminoles found a spark with 2:09 left, as Gordon and Sydney Bowles hit back-to-back three-point shots. On the next possession, Latson completed a three-point play by driving to the basket, drawing the foul. FSU trailed by nine points heading into the locker room at half after a 9-2 run.

The Seminoles scored 23 points in the third, trailing by six (63-57) after a 5-0 run in the final 1:41 of the quarter.

Timpson, who played all 10 minutes of the fourth, contributed 10 points and pulled the Seminoles to within five, however Illinois held on to take the game, 83-74.

Florida State will return home to host Florida A&M at 6 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center for military appreciation.

Luke Kromenhoek wasn't supposed to take on a prominent role in year one at FSU. But through his early struggles as a true freshman quarterback, he feels himself getting more confident at this level and sees the game slowing down.

Thought I’d watch Pitt vs Syracuse since I recently read they are 2 of the top 5 teams in the conference. Syracuse threw picks in their first 3 possessions, 2 of which were returned for td’s. Playing like we play

Talked with Jackson following his unofficial visit and he explained why the FSU offer is a big deal despite being committed to Florida.

Login to view embedded media
Story Link: UF commit discusses offer from Pat Surtain, FSU

Balogoun-Ali was back on campus last Saturday for an unofficial visit to FSU. He recapped his visit and why the Seminoles are in his top group.


Login to view embedded media

Story Link: https://floridastate.rivals.com/new...-top-group-for-four-star-lb-adam-balogoun-ali

Florida State’s improved depth was on display in the season opener, with six Seminoles coming off the bench and combining for 50 points.

Sydney Bowles had the biggest impact, scoring 18 points while adding a rebound, assist and steal in 19 minutes as the Seminoles cruised to a 119-49 win. The junior transfer from Texas A&M made 4 of 7 shots from beyond the arc as FSU shot 39.5 from long range.