And congratulations to Seminole Fans everywhere who voted for him in the NFL Home Depot Neighborhood MVP contest. Warrick Dunn won the inaugural award, and is the NFL Home Depot Neighborhood MVP for his work OFF the field. Check out the full article on Warrick and his off the field work at Seminoles.com.

It’s officially open for designs by FSU students. According to Seminoles.com, the person with the most creative design will receive a book scholarship from Bill’s Bookstore worth up to $500, an autographed football from Head Coach Bobby Bowden, and other great prizes!

The final day to submit your design to them is February 15! 

Check out the article at Seminoles.com.

This time it was the Virginia Tech Hokies beating the Noles, 89-80. I know Leonard Hamilton had a great history of coaching before coming to FSU, but I also know FSU Hoops has been pretty awful for 15 years now. Which makes me wonder why Hamilton got an extension before the season started, and how long he might actually be around after FSU hires a new Athletic Director?

What do the readers think? Give me and your fellow readers some insight, since I really don’t know a ton about FSU Hoops.

Vote… and unlike the Democratic Primary in Florida today, your vote ACTUALLY counts.

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On Courtney Fells banked three point shot, “We’ve had two of ‘em go in on us with the clock running down,” Hamilton said after quipping that his team should start practicing bank shots. “It was contested about as well as a shot can be contested,” Hamilton said.

“Ryan had the shot contested about as well as it could be contested,” Hamilton said. “I thought he did a great job of getting his hand up on it. I’m not real sure it could have been defended any better.”

“I’m not sure I’ve been a part of any season, since I’ve been coaching, where I’ve had two of them happen like that in a two- or three-week period,” said FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton after Saturday’s 69-66 loss to N.C. State at the Civic Center. “It’s something that I’ll remember for a long time.”

On Courtney Fells banked three point shot, “It was the play we called,” Fells said. “The bank wasn’t.”

“Without the bank, yes,” Lowe said with a wry smile. “We were trying to get him coming off a screen.”

“I didn’t know it was going to bank in,” Fells said with a smile. “It felt good, but I didn’t know it was going to bank.”

“You don’t want to say luck,” Hamilton said. “It was a low-percentage shot that went in.”

“He made the shot,” Mims said. “You can say it was lucky. You can say it wasn’t. He made the shot. It went in.”

“I was real close to blocking it,” Reid said. “I couldn’t believe he banked it in.”

“I’m not real sure it could be defended any better,” Hamilton said. “I’m almost positive he didn’t intend to bank it in. But when you allow yourself to have those poor possessions for a four- or five-minute stretch there like we did in the first half, you put yourself in position where these great plays can nail you.”

On Toney Douglas’ last two shot attempts, “At that position we felt like we had an advantage,” Hamilton said. “If that last one would have fallen we would have been okay, but they made a good defensive play. He took the ball too deep and got it blocked,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said.

On JJ Hickson’s two free throws with 9.6 seconds left, “Crowd’s going crazy and he stepped up there and knocked them down,” North Carolina State coach Sydney Lowe said. “We set up like we knew he was going to make the free throws,” Lowe said. “We weren’t planning for him to miss him.”

“It was huge, huge,” Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said twice with enthusiasm. “The crowd was going crazy and he stepped up there and just knocked them down.” Asked if he heard the crowd, he smiled and said: “No, I was just out there by myself.”

“I wasn’t really thinking about it. I was just trying to hit the free throws and finish the game.”

“It was just wanting to win,” Hickson said. “That’s the biggest thing. “You can draw up all the plays you want, but if you don’t have the will to win you’re not going to win. That’s something we had.”

“J.J. was right on the money,” Lowe said. “It wasn’t so much just about execution. It was about being tough and playing hard.”

“That was a big loss at home,” Hickson said. “Not to take anything away from Georgia Tech, but we should have won that game. This kind of makes up for that loss.”

“We had about five or six possessions there when we had a 12-point lead where we just didn’t execute well,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “All of a sudden, what was a 12-point lead becomes a dogfight. We lost a game we should have won,” he said.

“It really started with our defense,” Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said. “That was probably the best defense we have played for that period of time all year long.”

“You just can’t afford to have two or three bad possessions,” Hamilton said. “They come back to haunt you.”

“That run (17-0) gave us confidence to know that we could come back from any deficit,” Hickson said.

“That’s life in the ACC,” said Hamilton, who will most likely need to win six of the remaining 10 conference games to have any hope of avoiding a tenth straight season without an invitation to the NCAA tournament.

“We beat ourselves,” FSU guard Toney Douglas said. “I’m sorry but they didn’t beat us. It was all us. Our backs are against the wall.”

“We’ve got to get on a run here where we stack four or five good wins,” Hamilton said.

“They capitalized on our mistakes,” Douglas said. “We were up 12 and stopped moving the ball,” Douglas said. “It was nothing they were doing. It was all us.”

“It was like they were scoring all their points off free throws,” State’s Courtney Fells said.

“These guys have been getting better and better in different areas each game,” Lowe said. “It’s just a matter of time (before) it clicks in. I don’t know when it will be, but this win definitely helps. “To be able to go on the road in the ACC and get a win is huge. For our ballclub, which still is somewhat young, it’s another step.”

“We knew the ball was going to come (inside), and the first time he wandered out and allowed him to go in and get the basket,” Lowe said of Hickson on Douglas. “The second time (Douglas) came in and obviously he made the big block.”

“I got [Gonzazlez] in the air, and I thought he fouled me,” said Douglas, who had a game-high 17 points.

“It really started with our defense,” Lowe said. “That probably was the best defense we may have played, for that period of time, all year long. We were very active and aggressive.”

The saying goes that you finish the half strong, finish the game strong and you will come away with a victory more often than not.

Unfortunately for Florida State it was the North Carolina State Wolfpack that adhered to that axiom. In rattling off a 17-0 run in the last 5:08 of the first half and a 6-0 run over the last 57 seconds of the game it was the Wolfpack that got back on the bus to Raleigh happy with their come 69-66 from behind win over the Seminoles.

It was a dejected looking coaching staff and group of players that entered the tunnel at intermission after blowing a 31-19 lead to trail 36-31. When Leonard Hamilton removed his jacket as he walked with his head down you knew that was not a happy coach.

It was an even more dejected looking group after the game as players and coaches alike had little to say about the loss other than they all felt like they beat themselves in giving this game away.

After Isaiah Swann hit a three pointer, the sixth of the half for the ‘Noles to lead 31-19, it looked like FSU had the game under control.

However basketball is a game of runs and NCS’s Gavin Grant started the Pack’s spurt with a three from the left wing. The Seminoles contributed to that run when Toney Douglas turned it over that led to a quick two points again by Grant. To make matters worse FSU turned the ball over three more times in the last 2:35 that NCS State quickly converted into points.

Florida State came out in the second half and quickly closed the gap to one point, 36-35, on two free throws and a basket by Uche Echefu off a great pass from Douglas.

Finally FSU regained the lead 43-42 at the 12:32 mark when Jason Rich drove the ball in along the baseline from the right side and slammed the ball in sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The lead jockeyed back and forth for the next several minutes changing hands three times with three ties.

The ‘Noles were able to take a three point lead at 55-52 on two free throws by Douglas with 6:33 remaining. It was NC State’s tenth team foul.

But seconds later Rich would pick up his fifth foul on a ticky tac call by Ted Valentine. Rich commented after the game that Valentine seemed intent on calling the close calls on FSU but somehow never made any of those close calls on the Wolfpack.

The Seminoles managed to hold off NC State however and Ryan Reid’s high screen freed up Douglas for a wide open three giving FSU a 62-59 lead with 2:47 left to play.

Again FSU managed to hold off the Wolfpack. Hamilton had his team run the clock down and put the play in the hands of Douglas. The junior point guard took advantage of Javier Gonzalez’s poor defense and drove down the lane laying the ball in from the left side. Fifty-seven seconds remained. It would be the last points FSU would score.

Swann lost Courtney Fells in transition who tied it on a three ball.

Again Hamilton had his team run the clock down playing either for the win or making sure he would send it into overtime. Neither option happened.

The ‘Noles ran the same play for Douglas. But he was cut off in the lane and didn’t have the legs to make the jumper. Nor was he able to draw the foul.

Reid however was called for pulling JJ Hickson down who canned both charity shots with nine seconds left.

Douglas’s driving layup, again from the left, was easily swatted away by Hickson that was corralled by Gonzalez. He was sent to the free throw line by Echefu making one of two with two seconds left for the final margin of 69-66 and a disappointed crowd of 7,788 quietly left the Donald L. Tucker Center.

Leading the way for FSU was Douglas with 17 points. Ralph Mims and Echefu both had 14 and Swann added 10.

NC State was led in scoring by Fells with 16 points.

While controlling the boards, FSU had difficulty scoring and was held to just 36.8% from the floor. The Seminole defense however was not as effective allowing the Pack to shoot 46.5% for the game.

For the game there were eight ties and eight lead changes.

Hamilton afterwards could only say about the 17-0 NCS run in the first half that “we allowed ourselves to get into a dogfight.”

With the loss the Seminoles fall to 2-4 in the ACC (13-8 overall) making their goal of a winning conference record much more difficult.

It gets no easier as the Tribe heads to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies on Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.

In other basketball news it was not a good day for FSU basketball overall as the Lady ‘Noles lost to Virginia in overtime also by the score of 69-66.

The Seminoles went scoreless for the last five minutes of the first half to trail 36-29. Climbing back from that deficit and again from eight points down in the second half, FSU was unable to keep the Cavaliers from scoring with less than thirty seconds left in regulation.

Jo Kellum’s five straight points in the extra period gave Virginia a lead the Seminoles could not overcome nor could they foul out any of the three Cavs that had four fouls.

By Bill Kristoph

Softball time is nearing, Hallelujah!

With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at Seminole Softball’s key players for 2008.

Seniors
Tiffany McDonald - Maybe, just maybe, this season the Seminoles can get their Senior Ace Pitcher some run support. McDonald has been dominating throughout her career at Florida State, this season should be no different. McDonald recorded 235 strikeouts in 211 innings pitched. Don’t pay attention to her 17-17 record last season, if the Noles can score some runs it will greatly improve.

Whitney Buckmon - What doesn’t Whitney bring? She returns the best Batting Average on the roster (.340), was 17-21 for stolen bases last season and will flash her glove in the outfield for the Noles.

Juniors
Melissa May (pictured) - If the Noles go anywhere, their pitching will have to be stellar. Behind Tiffany McDonald, lefty Melissa May offers a great doubleheader or mid game change up to opposing hitters. She can also run the bases pretty well in a pinch!

Jessica Gilmore - She’ll need to be an RBI machine at the plate for FSU. Look for the 22 she had last year to increase.

Michelle Snyder - Snyder should remain solid at 3rd base for the Noles. She has power at the plate, but needs to improve upon her .193 batting average from a year ago.

Underclassmen
Terese Gober - Gober is technically #3 on the depth chart, but she’s lights out when she’s at her best. Her freshman campaign featured 123 strike outs in 123 innings pitched. Expect that to get more dominant the longer she plays at FSU. She also led the team with opponents batting a mere .185 against her, besting both May and McDonald. Did I mention that all three threw no-hitters last season?

Monica Montez - The ACC Freshman of the Year. She started 38 games for the Noles a year ago, and once she got in there she batted .312 and knocked the cover off the ball at the plate. Montez is a player, plain and simple.

Robin Ahrberg (pictured) - Catchers are the backbone of any defense. Arhberg is no different. Look for the sophomore to be timely at the plate again, topping her 25 RBI.

FSU/NC STATE SCOUTING REPORT

Time/Location: 1:30 PM; Donald L. Tucker Center; TV – RLF

Records: FSU 13-7 overall, 2-3 ACC, 10-1 home; NCS 12-6 overall, 1-3 ACC, 1-4 away

Last Game: The Seminoles came from ten points down in the second half on the strength of 19 points and 6 steals from Toney Douglas. It was Douglas’ sixth steal of the game off of Sean Singletary and subsequent intentional foul by Jerome Meyinsse late in the game that put FSU ahead for good. The Wolfpack defense faltered down the stretch allowing Georgia Tech to score on 13 of its last 15 possessions in losing 77-74 behind Matt Causey’s 18 points.

Projected FSU Starting Lineup:
Uche Echefu - 11.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg
Ryan Reid - 4.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Ralph Mims - 10.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Toney Douglas - 14.0 ppg, 2.7 spg
Jason Rich – 12.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Projected NCS Starting Lineup:
F 6-7, 212 Gavin Grant - 13.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
F 6-9, 238 Brandon Costner - 10.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg
C 6-9, 242 J.J. Hickson - 15.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg
G 6-5, 205 Courtney Fells - 10.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg
G 6-5, 205 Marques Johnson - 1.1 ppg. 1.5 apg

About the Wolfpack:
A lot was expected of the Wolfpack when the season started based mostly on the Pack’s performance in the ACC tournament in Tampa when they defeated Duke in overtime in the first round on their way to reaching the final in losing to North Carolina.. ACC and national media took notice of NC State picking them to finish third in the conference and gave them a preseason ranking of 21st by the AP.

Things have not exactly gone as planned for Sidney Lowe and his team. Things got a bit bumpy early was NCS lost the second game of the season to New Orleans, 65-63. But they rebounded well with two consecutive wins against South Carolina and then a hard fought win over then 20th ranked Villanova in preparation for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. It all caved in again with a dreadful performance against Michigan State losing 81-58. And it wasn’t that close as the game was over at halftime.

The Pack righted the ship after that with seven straight wins including victories over Cincinnati and Seton Hall.

And then disaster struck again when NCS travelled to Chapel Hill. The Wolfpack went nearly 11 scoreless minutes in the first half as the Tar Heels ended that game early leading 43-13 at intermission. In that game that ended 93-62, NC State’s offense was completely out of sync as far too many times players were trying to play one on one. That was not the recipe for beating a speedy North Carolina squad.

A loss at Clemson followed the Chapel Hill debacle where the Tigers could not be stopped at the three point line notably by Terrence Oglesby; someone FSU fans are all too familiar with this season as well.

Sandwiched between the Tech and Tiger losses was a miracle gift from Miami’s Anthony King in overtime when Gavin Grant, after having just tied the score on a driving layup, stole the lazy inbound pass and scored with 2.3 seconds left.

So it’s been an up and down season so far for NC State.

Many would look to the point guard situation where Engin Atsur graduated and Farnold Degand inherited the position. However Degand was lost for the season with a knee injury and Javier Gonzalez and Marques Johnson have struggled to lead the team.

But make no mistake the Wolfpack is not a team to be overlooked. They are as desperate to win a game as FSU is to get back into the thick of things in the conference race. When NCS plays like a team and avoids the one on one play they are as dangerous as any team FSU will play.

As can be seen from the starting lineup, the Pack have a great deal of size. And leading NCS is the beefy J.J. Hickson. A true freshman, when Hickson gets the ball he is a powerful force around the basket converting 62% of his attempts. It will be necessary for FSU to deny him the ball as much as possible.

But the Seminoles cannot afford to forget about their other big men. Brandon Costner is a player who can play inside or outside and will create matchup problems for the Seminoles. Costner has struggled this season compared to last season being nearly six points per game off his scoring average from last season. That cannot last. If NC State had beaten the Tar Heels in that ACC tournament game, Costner certainly would have been tournament MVP.

Also struggling but can be another dangerous player is Ben McCauley. McCauley has really dropped off in his production this season. But he also has been hampered as of late with a badly sprained ankle.

Despite all that size, oddly enough NCS has not done well on the boards. They have just a +.5 rebounding margin on their opponents. In conference play only, it’s even worse at minus 3.5 good for 11th in the conference.

The good news for NC State is that in 12th place is Florida State with a minus five margin.

Somebody is going to have to do a lot better in that area to help secure a win on Saturday afternoon.

If Florida State is to win this game, they will have to control the boards, put pressure on the inexperienced point guard (although Grant could eliminate some of that by taking over some the bringing up the ball duties), and Leonard Hamilton will have to remember to rotate his players like he did in the Virginia game. It was obvious that the ‘Noles were a lot fresher at the end of the game and that was no small factor in pulling out that victory.

Andrew Carter is on top of it, over at Nole Blog. Check out his recap of the latest news coming out of the FSU Athletic Department, including the fact that Women’s Bowling might be the next FSU Sport, thanks to Title IX.

Oh yeah and ticket prices are increasing next year for football… again… by $1 for each “level” of game.