Toney Douglas News

The 9-1 Blue Devils have turned in some impressive defensive displays so far this season.

With the Knicks currently floating in the cellar of the NBA's Atlantic Division, New York basketball junkies will need something to keep themselves occupied.

United Faith's Ian Miller finishes a drill with a dunk as a pupil of former Charlotte Hornets star Muggsy Bogues, right, at the Siskey YMCA.

Maybe he's the one. Chris Singleton certainly has all the talent, all the skill, to be Florida State's "go-to" guy this season.

ORLANDOa ' Florida State doesn't have much that resembles an offense. That's a fact.

Soloman Alabi should have had a field day against an undersized Iona roster. Instead the seven footer struggled mightily to the tune of only six points on 1-of-7 shooting and four free throws.

"The Seminoles have so many answers it's hard to know where the rotation begins and where it ends.

With a strong nucleus of returning starters and an infusion of talented newcomers, the Florida State basketball team figured to have little trouble scoring points this season.

A veteran of so many opening nights through the years, Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton isn't exactly nervous at the thought of his Seminoles playing host to Jacksonville tonight.

It starts with the biggest guy on the floor. It has to. The reason the Florida State Seminoles are getting more preseason attention than they ever have in the Leonard Hamilton era is because of a talented, soft-spoken, gigantic presence named Solomon Alabi.

NEW YORK ? Perhaps mesmerized by the venue, they hadn't won here since February 2004.

It starts with the biggest guy on the floor. It has to. The reason the Florida State Seminoles are getting more preseason attention than they ever have in the Leonard Hamilton era is because of a talented, soft-spoken, gigantic presence named Solomon Alabi.

Entering his eighth season at the helm of the Florida State program, Leonard Hamilton has 36 seasons of coaching experience, including 21 seasons as a head coach ... named the seventh head coach in FSU history on March 18, 2002 ... named the ACC Coach of the Year last season after guiding the Seminoles to a 25-10 overall record - their best mark in ...

He also had two rebounds and one assist. "Coach is always telling me to shoot the ball during practice and tonight my jumper felt really good," Douglas said.

Florida State played a season ago in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game for the first time in school history, and the Seminoles earned an invite to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - One scene told the whole story. There was Florida State men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton on Sunday, inside a ballroom at the lush Grandover Resort in Greensboro, sitting down at his table for ACC Media Day.

The Knicks will play out the season, but LeBron James' possible future in the Big Apple remains the top story at the Garden.

Coach: Leonard Hamilton . Last season's record: 25-10 overall, 10-6 in ACC Postseason: Lost in first round of NCAA tournament to Wisconsin Final regular-season RPI: 15th.

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No Tyler Hansbrough. No Gerald Henderson. Even Toney Douglas, Jack McClinton and Tyrese Rice are long gone.