The Florida State men's basketball team showcased its defense and athleticism, cruising to a exhibition win over West Florida on Thursday afternoon in the final tune-up for the 2024-25 season.

Taylor Bol Bowen scored 14 points, pulled down eight rebounds and had seven of the Seminoles' 19 steals in a 100-56 victory over the Argonauts.

Jamir Watkins also had 14 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals in a well-rounded 20-minute performance.

Exhibition opponents are typically shorter and thin on depth. FSU produced 28 points off turnovers, won the rebounding battle 41-27 and spread the minutes from the starting five through the bench.

"I was exceptionally impressed with how we moved the ball, made the extra pass, and created opportunities for each other," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “That's why we shot so well from the perimeter. Those uncontested in-rhythm shots come from our depth and teamwork."

Bowen had six steals in the first half and had 10 points at the break. His athleticism is impressive, and he had a trifecta of sorts with a tomahawk dunk, windmill dunk and two-handed dunk — with the last two coming on the fast break as his steals turned into quick offense.

The 6-foot-10, 195-pound Bowen finished 7 of 11 from the floor on Thursday.

He could use some added weight for ACC play. And it will be interesting to see how he looks against bigger, taller Division I programs.

He averaged just 3.1 points in 11 minutes as a freshman, but Bowen is making quite the statement for more playing time and could be impactful in his sophomore season.

Watkins is clearly trying to refine his jumper, and he came up empty (0 for 3) in the first half. But he was 4 of 6 from inside the arc in the first 20 minutes and had nine points, three rebounds and two steals.

He finished 6 of 12 from the floor — 1 of 4 from deep, but 5 of 8 from shots inside the arc.

Watkins' weakness is his jump shooting, and it's among the reasons why he tested the NBA waters before returning to FSU. It's not a consistent jumper yet but clearly a focus.

His passing continues to be pro quality, with Watkins feeding teammates often on a fast break. In an offense that values defensive rebounds and allows them to run the point or produce outlet passes, Watkins is still developing as a jump shooter but is an All-ACC-caliber player who makes others around him better.

Freshman guard Daquan Davis had 12 points on 4 of 6 shooting, making a 3-pointer and showing a pretty drive, step-back, mid-range jumper. He played 20 minutes.

Bostyn Holt started and had 10 points on 3 of 4 shooting and five assists in 18 minutes.

Jerry Deng had 10 points and five rebounds in 12 minutes.

AJ Swinton had five points but on 2 of 8 shooting. He added six rebounds.

Christian Nitu and Anastasios Rozakeas played extensively in the first half. Nitu finished with nine points and four rebounds, while Rozakeas had five points and three rebounds.

Hamilton used some unusual rotations in the first half, keeping Malique Ewin, Justin Thomas, Jerry Deng and Chandler Jackson on the bench. Ewin, Thomas and Deng each played in the second half. Jackson did not.

Ewin scored FSU's first points in the second half on an alley-oop dunk off a feed from Watkins.

There's no real clarity if Jackson is injured or in the doghouse. Remember that Jackson served a short suspension last summer.

We'll see what happens when FSU opens the season on Monday against Northern Kentucky at 7 p.m. (live stream on ACC Network Extra).

Follow The Osceola on Facebook

Follow The Osceola on Twitter

Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel

Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple