FSU coach Leonard Hamilton to face UM for the last time Wednesday before he retires
Leonard Hamilton arrived at the University of Miami on April 2, 1990 from Oklahoma State and became the first black head coach of any UM sport. He was 41 years old at the time and accepted a contract that paid him approximately $200,000, including a T.V. show, a shoe deal and a summer camp.
Miami had just reinstated men’s basketball five years earlier after a 13-year hiatus. He turned the program around from perennial loser to a Sweet 16 team during his decade with the Hurricanes.
Hamilton went on to coach the Washington Wizards in the NBA and then returned to the college game with Florida State, where he became the winningest coach in FSU history over the past 23 seasons and was rewarded with a salary of $2.25 million.
On Wednesday night, in Tallahassee, Hamilton will lead the Noles against the Miami Hurricanes for the last time. The 76-year-old coach announced recently that he will retire at the end of the season.
“There comes a time with every coach when you know it’s time, and that’s the way I feel,” he explained on Monday.
“I’m not going to get into the conversation about the challenges of the new climate that we’re operating under. We have to deal with it. It’s not going away. It’s the same for me as for everybody else. You have to adjust. But for me, personally, I think it’s time. Time to start another chapter in my life while I’m still capable and in good health. I never wanted to be a coach who hung around too long.”
He touched on the sacrifices his family has made for him over the years, and how it is time to focus his energy on them and other interests.
Despite his many fond memories of his days at UM, Hamilton insists he doesn’t have time for nostalgia heading into Wednesday’s game.
The Seminoles (15-10 overall, 6-8 in ACC play) are coming off a 26-point loss to Clemson and he is trying to get the team back in good form.
“I’ve never had the luxury in my coaching career to put any more importance on one game than another,” Hamilton said. “Oklahoma State hadn’t been to a post-season tournament in 27 years [when he got there]. Miami didn’t have basketball for 13 years, and Florida State needed all my attention.
“When you start placing more emphasis on one game than another, you have the tendency to have dips. We’ve had a lot of dips this year, but I’m trying not to add to that.”
FSU is facing a Miami team that is 6-19 and in last place in the ACC at 2-12. The biggest bright spot of the season has been the play of guard Matthew Cleveland, who transferred from FSU two years ago.
Cleveland scored a career-high 32 points on 10-of-13 shooting (77 percent) in a win over Syracuse last week, his sixth game in a row with 20-plus points and third 30-point performance against an ACC opponent this season.
Cleveland struggled, however, in UM’s 74-65 loss at Pitt on Saturday. He was held to eight points on 4-of-16 shooting. Miami coach Bill Courtney said opponents are defending him differently now.
“The better he plays, he has to understand the more attention he’s going to get,” Courtney said. “The scouting report’s going to change and Pitt, clearly, from the beginning of the game focused on stopping him, stopping his dribble penetration and make it difficult for him to get into spaces. We have to make adjustments.”
Hamilton and his staff are quite familiar with the challenges Cleveland poses.
“Matthew has always been extremely competitive, works very hard and basketball means an awful lot to him, so he’s going to give you everything he has,” Hamilton said.
“He runs the floor, and it seems as though he never gets tired,” Hamilton said. “That’s a special gift a guy can play through fatigue. Most guys, when they get fatigued, they back off a little bit and maybe look for possessions to take a play off. That’s not his nature.”
The UM vs. FSU game tips off at 9 p.m. Wednesday and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.