FSU hoops moves up two spots in AP Poll

Florida State Seminoles basketball has moved up two spots to No. 20 in the AP Poll after an 86-58 victory over North Florida to start the season 1-0.

Head coach Leonard Hamilton spoke after the game on the challenges for the team so far:

“I am trying to come to grips with how to best utilize these guys in a game. I’m just as inexperienced with coaching this team as they are inexperienced with playing with each other. That’s the challenge that we have...I’m still learning exactly who do I play in certain situations...How do we rotate those guys, how do they fit in certain situations, right now, is something that as a head coach I am still trying to figure out myself.”

Freshman Scottie Barnes, the highest-rated recruit to ever come in under Hamilton, also had a fun debut.

From Michael Rogner:

The debut of Scottie Barnes 1-and-done freshman season got off to an interesting start. He played the 2nd most minutes and led the team with six rebounds and six assists. The last player to score at least 8 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists was Trent Forrest last year against Miami. In the postgame, Leonard Hamilton complemented Barnes’ ability to affect the game without scoring.

“Scottie has potential to be really effective for us this year,” Hamilton said. “First games, you know, are somewhat challenging for first-year players. And for us, adjusting to the rotation. Scottie I just think he is going to grow with the more experience that he has, he is going to get better and better, because he has the high IQ, gives tremendous effort. There are times when he can effect the game without even scoring. We are very pleased with the potential that we saw in him tonight.”

FSU plays against the Indiana Hoosiers at home on Wednesday.