Not going to lie, I have watched less Tourney basketball than I have ever in my life. I used to watch every game. I just don't seem to care that much anymore. You watched back in the 90's because Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and the Runnin Rebs were fun to watch. You watch back then to see the Fab Five of Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose all play with their baggy shorts. You watched Duke...to watch them lose. There were some great North Carolina teams. I will probably watch some ball today and more during the final two weekends but the Tourney just does not do it for me anymore.
That being said I have never been a fan of John Calipari. I have always thought this guy is the most overrated coach in the history of college basketball. If not for the Anthony Davis, Calipari would have NEVER won a ring. I saw Davis play in an early season game that year and realized that Coach Calipari could not even mess this one up. He has coach Derrick Rose (Memphis), Marcus Camby (UMASS), Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight just to name a few. His 2015 team had Karl Anthony Towns (#1 overall pick), Willie Stein (6th overall), Trey Lyles (12th overall), Devin Booker (13th overall). He has had Jamal Murray, D'Aron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Jarred Vanderbilt, Tyler Herro, Tyrese Maxey and has one title. I don't know how you have had that many players and not won. I am not sure he could have won with Tim Duncan or Docic. What is crazy is JC can't win at Kentucky but goes to Arkansas and in year one goes to the sweet 16.
Rick Pitino - What is crazy is JC beat the guy who actually can coach in the tourney...Won a title at Louisville and Kentucky and in year one has turned down Saint John. Not sure if they have been good since Chris Mullen played there.
That brings me to Dustin May - He is the head coach at Michigan. I have no idea how good Luke Louks will be but FSU could have hired him when he was at FAU. They wanted to Keep Coach Ham but May would have come for 2 million after his run to the final four with FAU. Guy can flat out coach. Michigan was a train wreck with Juwan Howard. He is in the sweet 16 in year one.
Recruiting - FSU now has 8 commitments in the fold. They have a class ranked #15th overall by Rivals.com. They landed Michael Ionata out of Calvary Christian in Clearwater. This is a very good year for offensive lineman in Florida. What I like about Ionata is the kid has size and length. He can play tackle or guard so Ionata gives you some versatility. He now gives FSU two tackles in this class (Ionata/Xavier Payne). There are some other options as well with Micah Smith (Vero Beach), Givre Carr (IMG Academy), Joel Ervin (Fort Myers), Jonny Jones (Berkeley Prep) all still options on the table. Now that Michael is committed to FSU it would not surprise me at some point to see his brother Joseph end up at FSU. They should have recruited him while in HS. Let’s see what happens now with Michael pulling the trigger for the Noles. The OL class this year looks to be solid so far. Would like to see a couple big time kids get in the fold.
More recruiting info....FSU needs more help at the edge spot. #1 on my list is Jake Kreul. He would solve a ton of problems as Kreul is the best DE, I have watched this off-season. What makes him so good is his burst off the line of scrimmage. He plays with great leverage. He will get underneath a tackle and stay low and just shoot by them on a pass rush. He has the ability to get a tackle off balance and shoot back inside and get to the quarterback. He came back on campus and FSU looks like they are actually back in the race which would be judge. I do think there could be good news soon once Kamron Wilson makes a decision. The Southridge DE is very interested in FSU and it would not surprise me to see him pull the trigger for the Noles. He does have a teammate Ryan Miret who plays center. I feel he would be someone FSU should recruit. I spoke to him and Ryan would love an offer from the Seminoles. He just won the state championship as a heavyweight in wrestling. Great kid. His father is the principal at Southridge. He comes from a good family. I just think these kind of guys are ones you build the foundation with.
Chauncey Kennon - Been a little quiet on his recruitment but FSU still sits in a good spot for Kennon. He is one of if not the best Corners in Florida this year. FSU could use a top flight, shut down corner. Kennon fits the bill.
Been told that another DB Lasiah Jackson from Lee County is someone FSU is recruiting and they have a shot at. He is from Lee County in Georgia. FSU seems to have made some inroads in the state of Georgia under this staff. No reason to stop as FSU has a major need for safeties.
Quarterback recruiting - Duckworth is the top dog. My top target is Keisean Henderson. He is committed to Houston but damn...you want to change the trajectory of your program he needs to be priority number one.
Receivers - I went and watched a UM Spring practice the other day and Joshua Moore is the real deal. I thought he was a guy FSU could have really used this past class. I bring him up because this year’s version of Moore is Calvin Russell. You just can't teach size. Russell has size and great hands. You need to be able to get guys like this and Russell has already said that he wants to leave Miami. FSU needs to be an option for Russell.
Spring Football reports - It sucks that Coach MN decided to keep the media out but to be honest, I don't think it matters much. It sucks for the the Osceola and other networks but the reality is most of the info is fluff. I am biased but the only network that did not report all the BS was this one. I went to Miami's practice this week and half the time there are so many people in front of you that seeing anything worthwhile is almost impossible. They also practice so far away at times you are guessing who is who. What is crazy is how little contact there is now at practice. It is basically two hand touch.
I will say this - been covering FSU for over 20 plus years and this is the first time I have not had a good feel for what the team will be like in 2025. FSU went 13-0 to 2-10 and right now this team and their record is anyone’s guess. I have those I speak with that don't think FSU gets to 6-6. There are others who feel they can get to 8 wins. The Bama game is one of the most important in this school's history in a very long time.
That being said I have never been a fan of John Calipari. I have always thought this guy is the most overrated coach in the history of college basketball. If not for the Anthony Davis, Calipari would have NEVER won a ring. I saw Davis play in an early season game that year and realized that Coach Calipari could not even mess this one up. He has coach Derrick Rose (Memphis), Marcus Camby (UMASS), Eric Bledsoe, John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight just to name a few. His 2015 team had Karl Anthony Towns (#1 overall pick), Willie Stein (6th overall), Trey Lyles (12th overall), Devin Booker (13th overall). He has had Jamal Murray, D'Aron Fox, Malik Monk, Bam Adebayo, Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Jarred Vanderbilt, Tyler Herro, Tyrese Maxey and has one title. I don't know how you have had that many players and not won. I am not sure he could have won with Tim Duncan or Docic. What is crazy is JC can't win at Kentucky but goes to Arkansas and in year one goes to the sweet 16.
Rick Pitino - What is crazy is JC beat the guy who actually can coach in the tourney...Won a title at Louisville and Kentucky and in year one has turned down Saint John. Not sure if they have been good since Chris Mullen played there.
That brings me to Dustin May - He is the head coach at Michigan. I have no idea how good Luke Louks will be but FSU could have hired him when he was at FAU. They wanted to Keep Coach Ham but May would have come for 2 million after his run to the final four with FAU. Guy can flat out coach. Michigan was a train wreck with Juwan Howard. He is in the sweet 16 in year one.
Recruiting - FSU now has 8 commitments in the fold. They have a class ranked #15th overall by Rivals.com. They landed Michael Ionata out of Calvary Christian in Clearwater. This is a very good year for offensive lineman in Florida. What I like about Ionata is the kid has size and length. He can play tackle or guard so Ionata gives you some versatility. He now gives FSU two tackles in this class (Ionata/Xavier Payne). There are some other options as well with Micah Smith (Vero Beach), Givre Carr (IMG Academy), Joel Ervin (Fort Myers), Jonny Jones (Berkeley Prep) all still options on the table. Now that Michael is committed to FSU it would not surprise me at some point to see his brother Joseph end up at FSU. They should have recruited him while in HS. Let’s see what happens now with Michael pulling the trigger for the Noles. The OL class this year looks to be solid so far. Would like to see a couple big time kids get in the fold.
More recruiting info....FSU needs more help at the edge spot. #1 on my list is Jake Kreul. He would solve a ton of problems as Kreul is the best DE, I have watched this off-season. What makes him so good is his burst off the line of scrimmage. He plays with great leverage. He will get underneath a tackle and stay low and just shoot by them on a pass rush. He has the ability to get a tackle off balance and shoot back inside and get to the quarterback. He came back on campus and FSU looks like they are actually back in the race which would be judge. I do think there could be good news soon once Kamron Wilson makes a decision. The Southridge DE is very interested in FSU and it would not surprise me to see him pull the trigger for the Noles. He does have a teammate Ryan Miret who plays center. I feel he would be someone FSU should recruit. I spoke to him and Ryan would love an offer from the Seminoles. He just won the state championship as a heavyweight in wrestling. Great kid. His father is the principal at Southridge. He comes from a good family. I just think these kind of guys are ones you build the foundation with.
Chauncey Kennon - Been a little quiet on his recruitment but FSU still sits in a good spot for Kennon. He is one of if not the best Corners in Florida this year. FSU could use a top flight, shut down corner. Kennon fits the bill.
Been told that another DB Lasiah Jackson from Lee County is someone FSU is recruiting and they have a shot at. He is from Lee County in Georgia. FSU seems to have made some inroads in the state of Georgia under this staff. No reason to stop as FSU has a major need for safeties.
Quarterback recruiting - Duckworth is the top dog. My top target is Keisean Henderson. He is committed to Houston but damn...you want to change the trajectory of your program he needs to be priority number one.
Receivers - I went and watched a UM Spring practice the other day and Joshua Moore is the real deal. I thought he was a guy FSU could have really used this past class. I bring him up because this year’s version of Moore is Calvin Russell. You just can't teach size. Russell has size and great hands. You need to be able to get guys like this and Russell has already said that he wants to leave Miami. FSU needs to be an option for Russell.
Spring Football reports - It sucks that Coach MN decided to keep the media out but to be honest, I don't think it matters much. It sucks for the the Osceola and other networks but the reality is most of the info is fluff. I am biased but the only network that did not report all the BS was this one. I went to Miami's practice this week and half the time there are so many people in front of you that seeing anything worthwhile is almost impossible. They also practice so far away at times you are guessing who is who. What is crazy is how little contact there is now at practice. It is basically two hand touch.
I will say this - been covering FSU for over 20 plus years and this is the first time I have not had a good feel for what the team will be like in 2025. FSU went 13-0 to 2-10 and right now this team and their record is anyone’s guess. I have those I speak with that don't think FSU gets to 6-6. There are others who feel they can get to 8 wins. The Bama game is one of the most important in this school's history in a very long time.
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