Bio
Leonard Hamilton, the winningest coach in the history of Florida State men's basketball and the fifth all-time winningest coach in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history, has been a collegiate head coach for 33 years. Hamilton got his start as an assistant coach at Austin Peay State University and quickly made a name for himself. After finding success at Austin Peay, Hamilton went on to be an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky and later received his first opportunity as head coach at Oklahoma State. Hamilton continued his head coaching career at the University of Miami where he led the Hurricanes to the greatest single-season turnaround in Big East history. Picked to finish at the bottom of the Big East Conference standings, Hamilton guided the Hurricanes to a fifth-place finish and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament – Miami's first postseason appearance in 31 years.
Following a brief stint as a head coach in the NBA, Hamilton became the head coach of the Florida State men's basketball team in 2002. Hamilton has led the Seminoles to become the fourth-winningest overall program in the ACC since the 2005-06 season. He is the first coach at Florida State to lead the Seminoles to nine consecutive postseason appearances. In 19 seasons under Hamilton's leadership, the Seminoles have advanced to the postseason 16 times. In 2012, Hamilton led the Seminoles to their first ACC basketball championship in school history, and in 2020 led the team to its first regular season ACC championship.
Now in his 21st season with the Seminoles, Hamilton has won ACC Coach of the Year three times, ACC titles twice, and has taken the Seminoles to seven NCAA tournament appearances. Throughout his career, Hamilton has received the UPI National Coach of the Year, 2x Big East Coach of the Year, 3x ACC Coach of the Year, and the Ben Jobe Award. Hamilton is the first coach to be named Coach of the Year in both the Big East and the ACC. During his time as a head coach, Hamilton has led his teams to 23 postseason appearances including advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight (2018), and Sweet 16 (2000, 2011, 2019, 2021).
Hamilton, a native of Gastonia, NC, played baseball, basketball, and football growing up. Hamilton began his collegiate basketball career as a student-athlete at NJCAA member college, Gaston College. From 1966-1968, Hamilton was a standout member of the men's basketball team, setting a school record by scoring 54 points in a single game.