Leonard Hamilton
Leonard Hamilton (born August 4, 1948)
Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: Florida State Seminoles
Current conference: Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
Oklahoma State State record: 56-63 (.471)
Miami (FL) record: 144-147 (.495)
Florida State record: 404-265 (.604) **
Overall record^: 604-475 (.560) **
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 11 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 5 (2000, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2021)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 10 (1989, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016) **
- ACC Regular Season Champion: 1 (2020)
- Big East Regular Season Champion: 1 (2000)
- ACC Tournament Champion: 1 (2012)
Awards:
- UPI Coach of the Year: 1 (1995)
- Ben Jobe Award: 1 (2021)
- ACC Coach of the Year: 3 (2009, 2012, 2020)
- Big East Coach of the Year: 2 (1995, 1999)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2002-present | Florida State |
| 2000-2001 | Washington Wizards |
| 1990-2000 | Miami (FL) |
| 1986-1990 | Oklahoma State |
| 1980-1986 | Kentucky (assoc. HC) |
| 1974-1980 | Kentucky (asst) |
| 1973-1974 | Austin Peay (asst) |
| 1971-1973 | Austin Peay (grad. asst) |
Leonard Hamilton Facts
- James Leonard Hamilton
- Born August 4, 1948
- Hometown: Gastonia, North Carolina
- Alma Mater: University of Tennessee at Martin (BS, 1971) / Austin Peay State University (MA, 1973)
- Played for head coach Floyd Burdette for two years at Tennessee-Martin after transferring over from Gaston CC (NC)
- Started his coaching career right away as a grad assistant then full-time assistant under Lake Kelly at Austin Peay
- Spent twelve seasons as an assistant (and later associate head coach) to Hall of Fame coach Joe B. Hall at Kentucky and was on the staff for three Final Fours and one National Championship (1978)
- Became the head coach at Oklahoma State in 1986, leading the Cowboys to two NITs in four seasons
- Was the head coach at Miami (FL) for ten years, going to three NCAA Tournaments including a trip to the 2000 Sweet Sixteen; the Hurricanes also won the Big East that season
- Made the jump to the NBA following the 1999-00 season, becoming the head coach of the Washington Wizards
- Went just 19-63 in his sole season with the Wizards and spent the next year out of coaching
- Returned to the college game in 2002 as the new head coach at Florida State
- Has been to eight NCAA Tournaments (including four Sweet Sixteens) and six NITs during his time with the ‘Noles
- Led the Seminoles to their first-ever ACC regular season title in 2020, earning ACC COY honors
Leonard Hamilton Coaching Tree
- Bert Capel (Evangel)
- Tim Carter (South Carolina State, UTSA, Omaha)
- Hubert Davis (North Carolina)
- Bryan Doze Jr. (North American)
- Larry Drew (Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks)
- Weldon Drew (Langston)
- Andy Enfield (USC, Florida Gulf Coast)
- Michael Fly (Florida Gulf Coast)
- Dwight Freeman (Norfolk State)
- Dennis Gates (Missouri, Cleveland State)
- Juwan Howard (Michigan)
- Kyle Keller (Stephen F. Austin, Tyler JC)
- Dickey Nutt (Southeast Missouri State, Arkansas State)
- John Phillips (Tulsa)
- Bill Self (Kansas, Illinois, Tulsa, Oral Roberts)
- Rod Strickland (LIU)
- Corey Williams (Stetson)
- Andrew Wilson (VMI)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only
** Listed accomplishments for this coach do not include wins or appearances later vacated by the NCAA
