Clark: What a glorious celebration of Florida State basketball
With the fourth pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls selected Florida State's sixth man.
With the 11th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs selected a Florida State guard who only had offers from North Florida, Stetson and Presbyterian before FSU showed interest.
What a night Wednesday was for Leonard Hamilton and his program.
It showcased to the rest of the country, maybe even more so than any of the 26 wins his team racked up on its way to the 2020 ACC Championship, just what kind of juggernaut he has built in Tallahassee.
It was bittersweet, of course. When you have two of the top 11 players taken in the entire draft, along with an all-time winner at point guard who signs a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz afterward, you understand -- maybe even more clearly than you did at the time -- just how unique and special and talented the 2020 Seminoles were.
And how they had a very real shot at winning the school's first-ever national championship. But we'll never get to know.
That stings.
In a way, though, Wednesday night was a celebration of that team anyway. The Seminoles didn't get to cut down the nets at the Final Four, but seeing Patrick Williams and Devin Vassell both go in the NBA Draft lottery was a helpful reminder of what Leonard Hamilton and his staff put together.
And the rest of the country couldn't help but notice.
That last tweet is probably my favorite. Because it speaks to the culture at Florida State.
Patrick Williams was the No. 4 pick in the entire draft. Number 4! And he didn't start a game for the Seminoles. And he didn't care. Just like Mfiondu Kabengele didn't care the year before.
This is what makes FSU so unique.
This program is producing HIGH-level draft picks, big-time pro prospects, without catering to the massive egos that usually come with them. These guys love being a part of a program like this, one that values every guy on the roster, one that asks for a complete buy-in to what Hamilton and his staff are trying to do.
It's why Scottie Barnes, a potential first-round pick in his own right, is on the roster right now.
It's why Hamilton just signed one of the top classes in the United States. Again.
These players could go to other schools where they would get 20 shots a game, where they could average 18 to 20 points. But they want to go somewhere where they know they're going to win, and they know they're going to be developed.
What a great recruiting tool.
If a high-level recruit questions how many minutes he's going to play or how many shots he'll get, and if that might affect his draft status, Hamilton can just smile and say, "Patrick seemed to do OK with it. So did Kabengele. So did Jonathan Isaac."
And if another recruit questions whether Hamilton and his staff can develop his skills to a point where they could be NBA prospects, he could smile and say, "We beat out North Florida and Presbyterian for Devin Vassell. We beat out Binghamton for Kabengele. The two big boys in Carolina didn't offer Patrick. How'd we do with those guys?"
I'll always wonder what Florida State would have done in the 2020 NCAA Tournament. The mix of elite talent -- FSU literally had two of the most talented draft-eligible players in the world on its roster -- to go along with supreme leadership from Forrest and a complete buy-in from the entire roster, could have legitimately ended with Hamilton cutting down a net and hoisting a trophy.
The Seminoles would have been one of the favorites.
But the beauty about what he and his staff have done here in recent years is that it sure seems like FSU is now poised to be an annual contender. This isn't a flash in the pan. This is steadily marinating.
Florida State just lost two lottery picks and the all-time winningest player in school history, and it still is considered one of the favorites for the 2021 ACC Championship.
The Seminoles just signed one of the best classes in the country, and we have every reason to believe they'll sign one of the best classes in the country next season, too. And then the season after that.
Hamilton has found a sweet spot here late in his career.
He's built a program that values teamwork, hard work, defense, family atmosphere and a completely unselfish spirit.
The result has been NCAA Tournament berths, an Elite 8, Sweet 16 and an ACC Championship in the last four years. FSU also has had seven draft picks in the last five years -- five of which were first-rounders.
And more are coming.
Wednesday night was a great celebration of Leonard Hamilton's 2020 team and the program he has quietly built down here in Tallahassee. But it wasn't a standing ovation at the final curtain.
This was not the last act. It wasn't a culmination.
Florida State is well positioned to have many more celebratory nights in the coming years.
Contact senior writer Corey Clark at corey@warchant.com and follow @Corey_Clark on Twitter.
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