For the 15th time in 16 seasons under head coach Leonard Hamilton, Florida State is 1-0. The Seminoles got things started on the right foot on the hardwood Tuesday night with an 87-67 victory over George Washington.
FSU will now head to Jamaica for a pair of contests, but before it does, we look back on Tuesday’s victory. Here are five takeaways from the initial contest of the 2017-18 campaign:
1. Bigs Will Be a Force
Michael Ojo may be gone after a solid senior season, but the giants up front for Florida State will still be a force to be reckoned with this season. Junior Chris Koumadje tied a career-high with 14 points on Tuesday night while displaying a much-improved soft hook shot. Koumadje was 7-for-11 from the field while setting news career-bests with seven rebounds and five blocks. Ike Obiagu, a 7-foot-1 freshman, struggled to finish around the rim, but added three blocks of his own and three rebounds in seven minutes of action. Easy baskets inside against the Seminoles this season should be few and far between.
2. Mfiondu Kabengele is Ready
After being redshirted last season, forward Mfiondu Kabengele impressed in his first collegiate game on Tuesday. Kabengele showed a soft shooting touch, good athleticism and very good hustle. He was one of five FSU players to score in double-figures, scoring 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting while adding two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
3. M.J. Walker Can Be Really Efficient
Kabengele wasn’t the only FSU player to impress in his debut for Florida State. Everyone knew that freshman guard M.J. Walker would be able to score, but the newcomer was incredibly efficient in his debut. Walker attempted just five shots in 18 minutes on Tuesday night before finishing with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Walker was 3-for-4 from distance in the win.
4. Balanced Scoring Will Probably Be a Theme
It was a balanced scoring effort for Florida State on Tuesday night and with its top three scorers gone from last season, that will probably need to continue to be a theme. Terance Mann led the way with 17 points, but Phil Cofer, Koumadje, Walker and Kabengele also hit double-figures. FSU didn’t get a great night out of guards C.J. Walker or P.J. Savoy, but both of those players have the ability to put the ball in the basket. The same is true of Trent Forrest, who missed Tuesday’s opener with an injury.
5. Don’t Sleep on the Seniors
Florida State is a young team this season with only two scholarship seniors, but each of those players looked good on Tuesday night. After playing in a half-court offense as a freshman and being injured for most of his sophomore season, Phil Cofer seemed to have trouble fitting in for FSU last season. That wasn’t the case on Tuesday night as Cofer looked confident with his jump shot and out in the open floor, finishing the night with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and four rebounds. Braian Angola, a junior college transfer in his second year with the program, also seemed to be more aggressive on both ends of the floor. Angola finished with eight points on 3-for-6 shooting to go with a team-high five assists and two steals before leaving the game with an apparent groin injury. Brandon Allen, a walk-on and the only other senior on the roster, didn’t score on Tuesday, but played nine minutes.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
finance85
November 15, 2017 at 4:01 pm
Really nice article. Kabengele appears to be an upgrade over Smith. It was nice to see Cofer play within the flow of the game. There are lots of interchangeable pieces. My worry is defensive rebounding.
The kids seem like they have bought into the team concept, and really like each other. I can see five or six guys leading the team in scoring on a game to game basis. It’s always good to have a lot of guys in double figures. Everyone is bound to have an off night, and balanced scoring is the best answer.