NCAA Basketball: Predicting best player from top 2021 recruiting classes
By Ian Mumm
7. Florida State Seminoles
Recruiting Class: Matthew Cleveland, Jalen Warley, John Butler, Michael Brown, and Naheem McLeod (JUCO)
The Seminoles again blazed through the ACC slate on their way to 3rd top-5 conference finish in the last 5 years. While they fell short in the NCAA Tournament, it continues to be readily apparent how strong the Florida State program is under head coach Leonard Hamilton.
Player development under his direction has helped to maintain consistent play on the court and reduce pressure on incoming freshmen to carry the load immediately. This aspect of the program has made it particularly difficult to predict which players will breakout for Florida State in each season, due to the balanced attack of the team.
However, this offseason is not a typical one for Hamilton and the Seminoles. Losing the top-4 scorers from the 2020 roster will not be easy to replace, but this program has shown in similar circumstances to have navigated the issue well. The Noles were able to bring in a talented pair of transfers, Cam’Ron Fletcher (Kentucky) and Caleb Mills (Houston), to pair with the top-10 recruiting class of Matthew Cleveland, Jalen Warley, John Butler, Michael Brown, and Naheem McLeod (JUCO).
The multiple top-end departures leave a much bigger opportunity for this year’s crop of freshmen to make their name known early. Hamilton has been able to make players at every position flourish under his guidance, but particularly this year the departure of guards heightens the need for strong and immediate replacements to step up. That kind of situation fits right into Cleveland’s wheelhouse. The 6’7” guard is physical and a relentless player on both ends of the court. He is the type of player Hamilton can lean on for consistent results even as a first-year collegian.
Prediction: Matthew Cleveland