There is one stud who this program will be built around in their first year in this league.  Senior center Dave Cowens comes back for one more season with his nifty left hooks and mid-range game and wants to show he belongs with in the elite company of centers in D-1.  Cowens is not quite Alcindor or Chamberlain but he is damn good and maybe playing in this prestigious league (way better than bouncing around as an Indy) will get him the recognition he deserves to get drafted higher in the pro draft. 

The Seminoles are playing in Boston early to get some recognition but have a pretty light schedule beyond that trying to accumulate some wins knowing how difficult they will be to come by in the ACC.  You got to imagine these basketball crazy fans are not going to greet their new brethren too well especially with Coach Bobby Bowden’s rep of running it up on teams on the football field for which many of these schools have felt the Seminoles boot. 

After all the rest of the returnees besides Cowens that are anywhere near the ACC level of play amount to two or three wings (juniors Ron King and Harry Davis and sophomore George McCloud) who can score and a rail thin power forward named Reggie Royals.  The 6’10 200 pound Royals is a good sidekick to Cowens as he can block a shot but man he could use a few pizzas. 

The rest of the team is filled with guys who will be trying to keep their jobs with the recruits Hamilton is bringing in as the new coach is even hitting the Juco route trying to find some talent so that this team is not embarrassed too badly in their first year in the ACC.  Unless Hamilton can bring in about five studs who can play right away the Seminoles are destined to not be playing in the post season!  

The three-way competition for point guard shows how weak the talent is in Tallahassee as the aforementioned 5’7 kid (Otto Petty) took over to end the year.  This junior can really run a team but is a weakness on the defensive end but jumps into a league who as prestigious as they are infamous for having diminutive point guards. 

Fellow juniors Skip Young and Tony Jackson are battling for the starting role and they do have a bit more size at 6’3 and 6’0 respectively.  Young can score a bit more then Petty and could beat him out but Jackson is around just for depth as he is a pass first player who did not even start on the JV last year.  The situation is so dim at point guard that Hamilton is beating the bushes of the JC’s and has even went recruiting on the football field seeing if any of Bowden’s tremendous athletes want to moonlight on the basketball court. 

Seniors Ham Warnke and Jim Oler have been superseded on the wing but the much bigger and more athletic teammates and will be lucky to make the team but at one point these two were the BMOC in Tallahassee.  The front court has a bit more upside with senior Dave Fedor having some huge games here at the 4 but at 6’6 and 190 he is too small for the banging in the paint especially playing next to the 6’9 Cowens as he is not a rim protector.  He will play but the group just behind him on the Seminole totem pole better hope Hamilton does not have too many studs coming in or their time at Tucker Civic Center. 

Junior Greg Grady has some talent as he was the first High School All-American to attend FSU but has struggled since arriving though he played well at the end of last year.  The fans were expecting more of this 6’9 230 pound Brooklynite but maybe the competition of the ACC will motivate this kid.  Fellow juniors Lawrence McCray and Murray Brown are coming up from JV and played well and senior Gary Schull has done ok in limited minutes but is a good insurance policy for Cowens.  McCray has some size at 6’10 and could really push for time and Brown can flat score but is thin and not much on the boards. 

Junior forwards Rowland Garrett (Stadium) and Ron Harris and sophomore Randy Allen are solid defenders on the wing and give Hamilton solid options who are athletic.  None of these kids are going to be able to hang with Thompson or Jordan and when you are talking about guarding Sampson down low well this team has no one on the roster over 6’11 and the starter goes 6’9. 

This will be a tough year in Tallahassee but the new coach will bring in some athletes who will help move this program forward.  By then the best player in program history will have left for the pros but the big redhead from Kentucky is eager to show he belongs with the big boys from the mighty ACC.  He should do well but the rest of the team might take a while to adjust to this level of athleticism and talent.