NCAA Basketball: 10 most unappreciated head coaches in 2022
By Joey Loose
2. Leonard Hamilton – Florida State
After three Final Fours and a title as an assistant at Kentucky, Hamilton got his shot as head coach way back in 1986 at Oklahoma State. His time with the Cowboys and later at Miami was successful enough that the Washington Wizards gave him a call. His stint in the NBA was brief, as what usually happens for collegiate coaches, but his return to Florida State has been anything but.
Since returning to the college game two decades ago, Hamilton has done nothing but turn Florida State into a legitimate contender in a very tough ACC. In a league where Duke and North Carolina have won multiple titles, Florida State still manages to compete at a high level. Florida State missed this year’s NCAA Tournament, but in the previous three had an Elite Eight and two Sweet Sixteens, sandwiching an ACC regular-season title in the cancelled COVID season.
With over 600 career wins and decades of success, Hamilton is one of the legends of the game, but he doesn’t ever seem to get that type of respect. Perhaps it’s because he’s never won a title or been to a Final Four, but he’s made an important impact on basketball in the state of Florida. The Seminoles continue to recruit at a high level and haven’t had a bad season for more than a decade; never count out a Hamilton-led squad.