Florida State men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton is planning to leave the program at the end of the season following 23 years with the team.
The 76-year-old will end his career as the winningest coach in Florida State history. He led the team to eight NCAA tournament appearances. He is also the fifth winningest coach in ACC history.
“I am deeply thankful for the tremendous support of our fans, alumni, and everyone associated with Florida State throughout my time here,” Hamilton said in a statement. “I am proud of the quality of the young men that it was my privilege to lead, for their faith in this program and in their belief in the philosophy that we tried to instill in them over the years. I have been blessed beyond words for the opportunity and the experience we’ve had here.
“My family and I truly love this place, this institution, and its people. I’m very fortunate to be able to have given this job my all with no regrets. Every head coach inherits a legacy and is obligated to leave the job better than they inherited it. I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish here over the last 23 seasons. We were a consistent contender, and we created success for our players during their time here. So many of them have gone on to be successful in life. I hope that it will be remembered as my legacy. I look forward to working with our administration during this transition and being as helpful as possible through this process.”
Hamilton is currently being sued by six former Florida State basketball players for missing NIL payments that total $250,000 per player. The lawsuit states that Hamilton promised each player the funds from his “business partners.”
Hamilton’s decision to step down from the Seminoles program makes him the third ACC coach to do so in the past few months after legendary coaches Tony Bennett from Virginia and Jim Larrañaga from Miami both announced similar decisions. Bennett retired before this season.
Florida State’s final game of the 2024-25 regular season is set for Saturday, March 8 against SMU.
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