Longtime FSU coach Hamilton is stepping down ‘with no regrets’ at the end of the season

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Longtime Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton is stepping down at the end of the season.

Hamilton, who is being sued by six former players over allegations he failed to deliver on name, image and likeness promises, announced his decision Monday following a team meeting.

“I’m very fortunate to be able to have given this job my all with no regrets,” Hamilton said in a statement. “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.”

The 76-year-old Hamilton is the third Division I head coach to step down this season — all of them in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia’s Tony Bennett stepped down just before the season began, and Miami’s Jim Larrañaga left the program in late December.

Hamilton ranks 10th on the NCAA’s list of winningest active DI coaches. He coached at Miami and then with the NBA’s Washington Wizards before joining Florida State in 2002. He led the Seminoles to 16 postseason appearances and a dozen 20-win seasons.

FSU won the ACC Tournament title in 2012 after defeating Miami, Duke and North Carolina on consecutive days. The Seminoles also won the 2019-20 regular-season conference title before the pandemic halted postseason play.

FSU has lost four straight games, including three on the road, and is 13-9 going into Tuesday night’s home matchup against Notre Dame. Hamilton is in the final year of a contract that pays him $2.25 million annually.

Hamilton led FSU to Sweet 16 appearances in 2018, 2019 and 2021. The 2019-20 team was viewed as among FSU’s best, and ESPN analyst Dick Vitale wrote a book about how the Seminoles would have won the national title had it not been for…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/longtime-fsu-coach-hamilton-stepping-205021961.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2025-02-03 20:50:00

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