Learning From Leonard

Leonard Hamilton is the winningest coach in Florida State Seminoles history, Hamilton has more ACC wins than just four others in the league’s long history--you might have heard of the others--Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith, Roy Williams, and Gary Williams. Hamilton at age 71 who was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year is finally beginning to be recognized as one of the top leaders in college basketball. Here are a few of his thoughts.

On the ACC & NCAA tournament getting canceled due to the coronavirus...

Our players were disappointed, but we handled it like we do all situations that aren’t always pleasant: we tried to handle it with maturity. There are sacrifices in life that we all have to deal with. This is a very serious situation. This is not about basketball, it’s not about fun or enjoyment or the pleasure of the moment; it’s about saving lives. This is not a time to wallow in self-pity. I told my players that if this [not getting to play in the NCAA Tournament] is the worst thing that happens in your life, then you’re going to have a pretty good life.

On his program...

I’m very proud of our team and the unity and togetherness and culture we’ve been able to develop — and the buy-in and belief in a system that is different than what most people are using. In this day and time of quick gratification when everybody in America wants to be one-and-done and there’s pressure to score a lot of points and take a lot of shots and play a lot of minutes, our guys believe and trust in our system.

On what keeps him young and inspired...

I’m a man of faith and I don’t worry about a whole lot. God blesses us all with a certain amount of ability, and I work as hard as I can every day to utilize the gifts and the talents God has given me. If you do that, there’s no need to stress. You’re as young as your faith and as old as your doubt.

On his legacy...

When I hang up my whistle, I want to look back and see what kind of neighbors, husbands, fathers, citizens these guys have become. What are they doing with their lives? Yes, I want to win basketball games, but if that’s all we have done then how are we going to look at ourselves in the mirror and feel we have fulfilled our obligation as coaches?

Florida State associate head coach Stan Jones, who has worked beside Hamilton for 24 years on Coach Hamilton...

He’s the mother hen of all mother hens of college coaches. He cares nothing about the spotlight, he cares nothing about getting accolades, he couldn’t tell you his overall record. He doesn’t think in those terms. When he first got the job here, his wife made him bring down the NCAA watches and championships rings he got at Kentucky, and the Coach of the Year awards and display them in the cabinet. He didn’t even know what boxes they were in. I tell every parent during the recruiting process, ‘Your son may not come play for us, but within five minutes of talking to Coach, you’ll feel very confident that you can trust him with your child.'