Rotating image8
  Leonard Hamilton
Leonard Hamilton

Position:
Head Coach


05/16/2012

Hamilton Adds To 2012 Basketball Recruiting Class

7-1 center Ojo signs to play for Hamilton and defending ACC Champions.

05/14/2012

Seminoles Vs. Minnesota In ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Seminoles to face Gophers on Nov, 27 in Tallahassee.

05/11/2012

Seminoles Recognized By Board Of Commissioners

Hamilton accepts certificate in behalf of men's basketball program.

04/30/2012

7-3 Bojanovsky Signs To Play Basketball At Florida State

Hamilton adds to 2012 recruiting class with 7-3 Bojanovsky.

04/26/2012

Hamilton Honored By Hometown

Seminoles' Hamilton was honored by his hometown of Gastonia, N.C. on April 25.

03/18/2012

AP Photos: Florida State vs. Cincinnati

AP Photos: Florida State vs. Cincinnati

03/16/2012

Florida State vs. St. Bonaventure, NCAA Tournament - AP Photo Gallery

Florida State vs. St. Bonaventure, NCAA Tournament - AP Photo Gallery

03/11/2012

2012 ACC Championship Game :: Seminoles Win First ACC Tournament Title (March 11, 2012)

2012 ACC Championship Game :: Seminoles Win First ACC Tournament Title (March 11, 2012)2012 ACC Championship Game

03/10/2012

No. 17 Florida State vs. No. 6 Duke - 3/10/12

AP photos from today's game

03/04/2012

No. 22 Florida State vs. Clemson - AP Photo Gallery

No. 22 Florida State vs. Clemson - AP Photo Gallery

(Updated September 2011)
10th season at Florida State (154-117. .568)
23rd season as a collegiate head coach (354-327, .520)

Leonard Hamilton, the only person to be named the Coach of the Year in the ACC and the Big East, has guided Florida State to a school record tying three consecutive NCAA Tournaments and has led the Seminoles to a school record six consecutive post-season tournament appearances. He was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2009 when he led the Seminoles to one of the top seasons in school history with 25 wins, 10 wins in ACC play, a third place finish in the ACC standings, an appearance in the ACC Tournament championship game for the first time in school history, and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Hamilton's coaching and recruiting has produced eight NBA Draft selections since 2004 and three of the four all-time All-ACC First Team selections in school history.

The Seminoles are the nation's top defensive team under Hamilton. They led the nation in field goal percentage defense in both 2010 and 2011 and produced three ACC Defensive Player of the Year selections - Toney Douglas in 2009 and Chris Singleton in both 2010 and 2011. Hamilton recruited and coached Al Thornton - the runner up for ACC Player of the Year honors in 2008 and Toney Douglas who earned All-ACC First Team honors, was named the 2009 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was the first round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Hamilton is the 19th all-time winningest coach in ACC history, has led the Seminoles to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons and to the ACC Championship game in 2009 for the first time in school history. He was named the National Coach of the Year by Basketball Times, the ACC Coach of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association in 2009, and the Big East Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1999.

Florida State finished the 2010-11 season with a 23-11 overall record, an 11-5 record and a third place finish in ACC play, advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993 and was ranked 19th nationally in the final USA Today/ESPN Poll of the season. It marked the third consecutive season the Seminoles have won at least 22 games, tied a school record third consecutive season winning at least 10 ACC games, and finishing top four of the ACC standings. Florida State is one of only two teams in the ACC (they are joined by only Duke) that has won at least 22 overall games, at least 10 ACC games and has finished in the top four of the ACC standings in each of the last three seasons.

Florida State is the third winningest program in the ACC in the last six years (since the start of the 2005-06 season) in total ACC regular season and ACC Tournament games. The Seminoles have won 58 games against ACC competition in that span. In addition, Florida State is the third winningest program in the ACC in the last three seasons (since the start of the 2008-09 season) in total games won with 70 wins. The Seminoles averaged 23.3 wins per season with records of 25-10 (2008-09) and 22-10 (2009-10) in the last two seasons and 23-10 during the 2010-11 season.

Hamilton's coaching and recruiting has produced three of Florida State's four All-ACC First Team selections, including two in the last five years. One of those pupils, Al Thornton, was the 14th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft - just the second Draft lottery pick in school history. In 2009, Toney Douglas earned All-ACC First Team honors, was the runner-up for ACC Player of the Year, was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Chris Singleton, who was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in both 2010 (media) and 2011 (coaches) was the first round pick of the Washington Wizards in 2011.

With 20 or more wins in five of the last six seasons, Hamilton is the 19th winningest coach in ACC history in overall victories and ACC wins. He enters the 2011-12 season as the second longest tenured coach in the ACC.

Hamilton is in his 10th season as Florida State's head coach in 2012. He has a career record of 354-327 (22 seasons as a collegiate head coach) and a 154-117 record at Florida State.

He is the first coach to lead Florida State to six consecutive post-season appearances as the Seminoles have participated in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournaments and played in the NIT in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Hamilton has guided seven of his first nine Seminole teams into postseason play as he continues to return Florida State to a program of significance both nationally and in the ACC.

Now in his 10th season as the Seminoles' head coach, he has elevated the program in every way possible.

The Seminoles have also earned great success against ranked teams under Hamilton. The Seminoles defeated No. 1 ranked Duke in Tallahassee on Jan. 12, 2011 to mark the third time under Hamilton that Florida State has defeated the nation's top ranked team. In guiding Florida State to its 66-61 victory over No. 1 ranked Duke in 2011, Hamilton continued to put himself in a very select company as one of the nation's top coaches. He is currently tied for the national lead among coaches with the most victories over the No. 1 ranked team in the nation since the start of the 2003-04 season. Hamilton has guided Florida State to wins over No. 1 ranked Duke twice (Jan. 12, 2011 and March 1, 2006, as well as No. 1 North Carolina on March 14, 2009, in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament).

Florida State defeated four nationally ranked teams during the 2010-11 season (No. 15 Baylor on Dec. 25, 68-61, No. 1 Duke on Jan. 16, 66-61, No. 20 Texas A&M on March 18, 57-50 and No. 5 Notre Dame on March 20, 71-57). It marked the ninth consecutive season under Hamilton that Florida State has defeated at least one ranked opponent and the first time since the 2008-09 season that it has defeated at least four ranked teams in the same season. The Seminoles have now defeated 21 ranked teams during the first nine years of the Hamilton era at Florida State.

As he continues to build his program into one of the nation's best, he annually attracts the nation's top talent to Tallahassee and helps those players reach their goals of not only playing at the next level, but of excelling academically and earning their degrees.

With eight NBA Draft selections under Hamilton since 2004, the Seminoles are ranked third in the ACC for the most draft picks. Three Seminoles have been selected in the first round (Al Thornton in 2007, Toney Douglas in 2009 and Chris Singleton in 2011) and one (Thornton) was only the second draft lottery selection in school history and the third highest overall pick in school history.

Hamilton was at the 2007 NBA Draft to watch as Al Thornton became only the second Draft Lottery selection in school history as he was picked with the 14th overall selection by the Los Angeles Clippers. He was with 2009 NBA First Round selection Toney Douglas when his name was called by the Los Angeles Lakers. Hamilton watched as Solomon Alabi and Ryan Reid were selected in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft and reveled when Singleton became the first round pick of the Washington Wizards in 2011.

Florida State has had at least one player selected in seven of the last eight NBA Drafts. All-ACC guard Tim Pickett was a second round selection of the New Orleans Hornets in 2004, guard Von Wafer was a second round selection of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005, forward Alexander Johnson was the second round selection of the Indianapolis Pacers in 2006, Thornton was the first round pick of the Los Angeles Clippers in 2007, Douglas was the first round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009, Alabi (Dallas Mavericks) and Reid (Indianapolis Pacers) were chosen in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft and Singleton in the first round in 2011.

Florida State is one of only three teams in the ACC with at least eight players selected in the last eight NBA Drafts. Only North Carolina (with 12 selections) and Duke (with 11 selections) have more NBA Draft picks since 2004 than Florida State among the current 12 ACC teams.

Florida State has also become a fixture in the national statistics since Hamilton's arrival.

Florida State finished the 2010-11 season as the field goal percentage defense national statistical champion with a .363 mark - the second consecutive season they have led the nation in the most telling defensive statistic kept by the NCAA. The Seminoles were the first team to repeat as the field goal percentage national champions since Marquette in the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Florida State's .363 mark ranks as the fourth lowest mark by a leader in the category since the NCAA began compiling the statistic in 1977 and lowest in the ACC since 1960 - a span of 52 years. The Seminoles became only the sixth team in NCAA history to repeat as the field goal percentage defensive national champions in 2010 and 2011. It marked the third time in the last 14 seasons that a Leonard Hamilton coached team led the nation in field goal percentage defense. Hamilton's 1998 Miami Hurricanes led the nation with a .379 mark as he took the team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1960. Hamilton guided the Hurricanes to the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons (1998-2000). In 2011, Florida State proved to have the nation's toughest defense as it ranked not only first nationally in field goal percentage defense (.363), but fifth in blocked shots (6.0 bpg), 15th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.306), 24th in steals per game (8.3 spg) and 27th in rebound margin (+4.9 rpg). The Seminoles were the only team in the nation to finish the season ranked in the top 30 in each of those five statistical categories.

Florida State finished first nationally in the field goal percentage defense category in 2011 and 2010, ninth in the nation in field goal percentage defense in 2009 and fifth in the nation (and as the ACC leader) in free throw shooting percentage during the 2007-08 season after ranking ninth in the same category during the 2006-07 season. The Seminoles ranked eighth in the nation in 3-point field goals made per game in 2003-04 and in the nation's top 25 in field goal shooting percentage during the 2005-06 season and in field goal percentage defense during the 2003-04 season.

Hamilton was hired on March 19, 2002 to return the Seminole men's basketball program to the glory it had earned when it played for the 1972 national championship and regularly competed for, and won conference championships during the 1980's and early 1990's.

Hamilton was the Washington Wizards' head coach in 2001 and the head coach at the University of Miami for from 1991-2000 before he became the seventh head coach in Florida State men's basketball history.

In his final season at Miami, Hamilton guided the Hurricanes to their second straight 20-win season, a share of the Big East regular season championship and the school's first trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes finished 23-11, including a 13-3 conference record, and were ranked 23rd in the nation in the final Associated Press poll and 20th in the final USA Today/ESPN poll. Miami's 23 wins matched the team's 1998-99 total and, at the time, tied the school record for victories in a season.

Under Hamilton's leadership, Miami became one of the nation's top programs, advancing to postseason play five times in his final six seasons including three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1998-2000. Miami's winning records in his final six seasons meant the Hurricanes joined Syracuse and Connecticut as the only Big East schools to have an overall winning record from 1995-2000. The Hurricanes' 48-22 Big East mark over his last four seasons tied Connecticut for the best conference record over that period. Over his last two seasons, Miami registered a league-best 28-6 conference record for an .824 winning percentage.

In his final season with Miami, Hamilton's Hurricanes recorded three wins over ranked teams including a 74-70 home win over No. 18 St. John's, marking the sixth straight season Miami had defeated a ranked opponent in the Miami Arena.

In the 40 seasons prior to Hamilton's arrival, the Hurricanes reached the post-season just four times including one NCAA tournament appearance (1960). In his ten seasons at Miami, Hamilton led the Hurricanes to five postseason appearances.

Along with the rise of the Hurricanes' program, Hamilton's players also continued to develop and win individual awards. In 1999-2000, guard Johnny Hemsley earned All-Big East Second-Team honors while center Mario Bland earned All-Conference Third-Team honors

In 1998-99, Hemsley and forward Tim James earned All-Big East First-Team honors. The Hurricanes joined Syracuse (eight times), Georgetown (twice), Pittsburgh, St. John's and Villanova as the only schools to have two players earn All-Big East First-Team honors in the same season. In ten seasons under Hamilton, the Hurricanes had 13 All-Conference selections.

In 1998-99, Tim James was named Big East Co-Player of the Year, along with Connecticut's Richard Hamilton, and Johnny Hemsley was selected as the league's Most Improved Player.

Miami's rise began in 1994-95 when Hamilton led the Hurricanes to the greatest single season turn-around in Big East history. Picked to finish at the bottom of the Big East Conference standings, Hamilton guided the Hurricanes to a fifth-place finish and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament - Miami's first postseason appearance in 31 years.

Miami set a Big East record in 1995 for the greatest single-season improvement in league history. The Hurricanes' nine-win conference win increase tied Louisiana Tech for the best in the nation. Miami's eight-win overall improvement tied for the third best single season increase in school history.

At the conclusion of the 1995 season, Hamilton was named the United Press International National Coach of the Year. Peers also recognized Hamilton as the league's coaches named him Big East Conference Coach of the Year for the first time.

Hamilton took home even more hardware at the end of the 1999 season. He was named Big East Coach of the Year for the second time joining Jim Calhoun, Lou Carnesecca, Jim Boeheim, John Thompson, P.J. Carlesimo and Al Skinner as the only coaches to win the award more than once. Hamilton was later honored as the Eastern Basketball Coach of the Year. In 2000, he was named the Black Coaches Association (BCA) Coach of the Year.

For his work both on and off the court, Coach Hamilton was honored as one of four finalists for the 2000 Coach Wooden "Keys to Life" Award. The award is given annually to a coach who best exemplifies Coach John Wooden's philosophy of emphasizing the fact that impacting the life of a student is more significant than any winning percentage. He was named one of Tallahassee's Top 33 citizens in 2004 by the Tallahassee Democrat and inducted into the Gaston County (N.C.) Hall of Fame in 2007.

The induction into the Gaston County Hall of Fame marked a monumental occasion for Hamilton who earned induction into his fourth collegiate Hall of Fame. In addition to being honored by his hometown in 2007, he is also a member of the athletic Hall of Fame at the University of Miami, the University of Tennessee-Martin where he received his bachelor's degree and served as the captain of the basketball team as an undergraduate player, and at Austin Peay State University where he began his coaching career and served as an assistant coach for the Governors. Hamilton helped lead Austin Peay to two Ohio Valley Conference Championships and recruited and coached James "Fly" Williams who is still the only two-time All-American in school history.

Hamilton arrived at Miami from Oklahoma State where he spent four years rebuilding the Cowboys' program. He led them to consecutive appearances in the NIT, the first back-to-back postseason appearances for OSU since 1953-54. While at Oklahoma State, he recruited and coached current Florida State assistant coach Corey Williams.

Prior to his tenure at Oklahoma State, Hamilton was on the staff at the University of Kentucky where he spent 12 seasons with one of the top programs in the country. From 1974-80, he served as an assistant coach, and in 1980 he was honored by being named the first associate head coach in Kentucky basketball history.

During his 12 seasons at Kentucky, the Wildcats registered a 296-83 (.781) record, won eight SEC regular season championships, two SEC tournament titles, went to three Final Fours and won the national title in 1978.

Hamilton's coaching career began at Austin Peay State University where he served as a graduate assistant from 1971-73 and then as a full-time assistant from 1973-74. The Governors won back-to-back Ohio Valley Championships in Hamilton's last two seasons at the school. Hamilton recruited and coached James "Fly" Williams, the 1974 conference Player of the Year and two-time all-conference selection. Williams was a two-time consensus All-America in 1973 and 1974, the only two-time All-America in school history. The Governors won the OVC Championship and played in the NCAA Tournament in 1973.

Hamilton's legacy extends across the nation as seven of his former assistant coaches have moved on to become head coaches at the Division I level. Included on the list are Tim Carter (South Carolina State), Dwight Freeman (Norfolk State), Randy Lee (Maine Machias), Dickey Nutt (Arkansas State), John Phillips (Tulsa) and Bill Self (Kansas).

He played at Gaston (NC) Community College where he set a school record by scoring 54 points in a game, and later at the University of Tennessee-Martin where he is a charter member of the school's Hall of Fame. At both schools, he served as a team captain. Additionally, while at Tennessee-Martin, Hamilton received both the team's Most Valuable Player Award and the Best Defensive Player award his senior season.

He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Tennessee-Martin in 1971 and received a master's degree in physical and health education from Austin Peay State in 1973.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Has led Florida State to a school record tying three consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since the 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons.
• Led Florida State to the 2009 NCAA Tournament after a 10-year absence from the tournament for the program.
• Led Florida State to final nationals rankings in both 2010 (22nd) and 2011 (19th).
• Named the 2009 Basketball Times national coach of the year.
• Named the 2009 ACC Coach of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.
• Led Florida State to three consecutive NIT appearances - 2006, 2007, 2008.
• Led Florida State to the second round of the NIT in 2004 for the Seminoles' first postseason appearance since 1988.
• Led Miami to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history.
• Led Hurricanes to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1965.
• Led Hurricanes to a then school-record tying 23 overall wins and the school's first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 1999-00.
• Ended the 1998-99 season ranked 10th by the Associated Press - the Hurricanes' highest AP ranking since 1960.
• The Hurricanes ranked nationally in field goal percentage defense four straight seasons including a No. 1 national ranking in 1997-98.
• 2000 BCA Coach of the Year.
• 1998-99 Big East Coach of the Year.
• 1994-95 Big East Coach of the Year.
• 1998-99 Eastern Basketball Coach of the Year.
• Joins Jim Calhoun, Lou Carnesecca, Jim Boeheim, John Thompson and P.J. Carleisimo, Jay Wright and Mike Brey as the only coaches to win the Big East Coach of the Year award more than once.
• Nine-win jump in conference wins from 1994 to 1995 - the largest increase in victories in Big East history.
• 1994-95 United Press International National Coach of the Year.
• 28 of 31 seniors who completed their eligibility under Hamilton while he has the head coach at Miami earned their degrees.
• Nine Top 20 recruiting classes.
• Led Oklahoma State to back-to-back National Invitational Tournament appearances (1989, 1990), the first consecutive postseason appearances for OSU since 1954.
• Charter member of the University of Tennessee-Martin Hall of Fame.
• First Associate Head Basketball Coach in Kentucky history.
• Was an assistant coach on Kentucky's 1978 NCAA Championship team.

Leonard Hamilton's Coaching Record
Collegiate Coaching Record
Year         School              Record     Winning Pct.    Postseason
1986-87      Oklahoma State      8-20       .286
1987-88      Oklahoma State      14-16      .467
1988-89      Oklahoma State      17-13      .567            NIT 2nd Round
1989-90      Oklahoma State      17-14      .548            NIT 2nd Round
1990-91      Miami               9-19       .321
1991-92      Miami               8-24       .250
1992-93      Miami               10-17      .370
1993-94      Miami               7-20       .259
1994-95      Miami               15-13      .536            NIT 1st Round
1995-96      Miami               15-13      .536
1996-97      Miami               16-13      .552            NIT 1st Round
1997-98      Miami               18-10      .643            NCAA 1st Round
1998-99      Miami               23-7       .767            NCAA 2nd Round
1999-00      Miami               23-11      .676            NCAA Sweet 16
2002-03      Florida State       14-15      .483
2003-04      Florida State       19-14      .576            NIT 2nd Round
2004-05      Florida State       12-19      .387
2005-06      Florida State       20-10      .667            NIT 2nd Round
2006-07      Florida State       22-13      .629            NIT Quarterfinals
2007-08      Florida State       19-15      .559            NIT 1st Round
2008-09      Florida State       25-10      .714            NCAA First Round/
                                                            ACC Championship Game
2009-10      Florida State	 22-10      .688            NCAA First Round
2010-11      Florida State	 23-11      .676            NCAA Sweet 16
Totals                           354-327    .520            14 Postseason Appearances
At Oklahoma State                56-63      .471            2 Postseason Appearances
At Miami                         144-147    .495            5 Postseason Appearances
At Florida State		 154-117    .568            7 Postseason Appearances

Professional Coaching Record 2000-01 Washington Wizards (NBA) 19-63 .231

Experience As A Coach
2002-Pr. Head Coach, Florida State University
2000-01 Head Coach, Washington Wizards
1990-00 Head Coach, University of Miami
1986-90 Head Coach, Oklahoma State
1980-86 Assoc. Head Coach, Univ. of Kentucky
1974-80 Assistant Coach, Univ. of Kentucky
1973-74 Assistant Coach, Austin Peay State
1971-73 Grad. Assistant, Austin Peay State

As A Player
1969-71 Two-year letterman, University of Tennessee-Martin
1966-68 Two-year letterman, Gaston Community College

Education
1973 M.A. Physical and Health Education, Austin Peay State
1971 B.S. Physical Education, University of Tennessee-Martin

Personal
Full Name: J. Leonard Hamilton>
Digital Guide

Shop Now

at the Official
Online Store

    Rotating image Multimedia Guide
    Replay Photos Memorabilia
    2012 Football Season Tickets