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It’s been another exciting March run for Florida State basketball, but the elation that usually comes along with a second-straight Sweet Sixteen appearance has certainly been tempered by terrible tragedy.
Of course I’m referring to the passing of redshirt-senior forward Phil Cofer’s father, Michael, last week. Cofer found out about his father’s death after sitting out the Seminoles’ tourney opener vs. Vermont due to injury. He then stayed out for FSU’s blowout win over Murray State.
And Cofer will remain out for 4-seed Florida State’s regional semifinal against the 1-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in Anaheim this Thursday, and probably longer, per head coach Leonard Hamilton. A team leader, Cofer also missed some time early in the season with injury. He’s played in 22 games during the 2018-2019 campaign, averaging 7.4 PPG and 3.5 RPG.
During his tournament absence, Cofer’s starting role has gone to redshirt-freshman Raiquan Gray. Gray has played well, averaging 9.5 PPG and 3 RPG in the big dance.
"We will not have Phil Cofer available for this Thursday... I doubt very seriously we'll have him on this trip at all. So in order for Phil to get back with us and be able to be a part of the team, I'm sure we're going to have to get to the Final Four." -@FSUCoachHam full comment
— Tom Lang (@_TomLang) March 25, 2019