The Daily Nole

FSU Hoops: Remembering the Seniors

Ross Obley/FSU athletics

For what will be a pivotal match-up to determine a double-bye in the ACC Tournament, Florida State basketball’s seniors will grace the Donald L. Tucker Center floor one last time.

FSU has five seniors set to be honored before Tuesday’s contest with Virginia Tech. The seniors for FSU all had different career trajectories. Before those veterans can take the Tallahassee floor for the final time, we’ll look back on their careers:

Phil Cofer, F

Phil Cofer will have appeared in three NCAA Tournaments for FSU during the course of his career. (Kathy Hitchcock/FSU athletics)


A native of Georgia, Phil Cofer looked like a promising young player as a freshman during the 2014-15 season. With the ability to score inside or out, Cofer averaged nearly seven points per game on 46 percent shooting to go with 4.5 rebounds per game. The highlight of his freshman campaign was a flush over Duke’s Jahlil Okafor in a 73-70 loss at the Tucker Center.

Cofer played in just 11 games as a sophomore before going down with an injury. As a junior, Cofer had the look of the weak link on a team that reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years and came one win shy of tying of a school-record for victories. Cofer scored in double-figures just once as a junior and that was 13 points in a win over Iona in the second game of the season.

The 2017-18 season saw Cofer have a breakout year as he ultimately finished with a team-best and career-high of 12.8 points per game while helping the Seminoles reach the Elite Eight for the first time in 25 years. Highlighting a senior year was a career-high 28 points on one of college basketball’s grandest stages — against Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Prior to the 2018-19 season, Cofer was granted a fifth year of eligibility, but unfortunately, the injury bug struck again, causing the redshirt senior to miss FSU’s first nine games. The rise of Mfiondu Kabengele has led to a slight reduction in minutes for Cofer, but he has still averaged seven points and 3.6 rebounds in 25 minutes per game while shooting 35 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

Christ Koumadje, C

Christ Koumadje is enjoying a career-year as a senior for the Seminoles. (wlpearce.com/FSU athletics)


A native of Chad, Christ Koumadje couldn’t have been more raw when he arrived in Tallahassee before the start of the 2015-16 season. At 7-foot-4, Koumadje is the tallest student athlete in FSU history and has managed to grow as a basketball player each season. After averaging just 6.1 minutes as a freshman and 10.1 as a sophomore, Koumadje came into his own more as a junior.

While shooting 63 percent, Koumadje averaged 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while helping the Seminoles reach the Elite Eight. Koumadje’s career scoring performance came in a pivotal early-season ACC game as he scored 23 points in a double-overtime win over Syracuse to jumpstart a resurgence after a slow start to ACC play.

Through more than three and a half seasons, Koumadje had never recorded a double-double before doing so in back-to-back wins over Wake Forest and Georgia Tech last month. As a senior, Koumadje is averaging career-highs of 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds while ranking among the ACC leaders in blocked shots per game. He enters Senior Night having scored in double-figures in four of his last six games.

Terance Mann, G/F
Recruited as part of a class that included NBA draft picks Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon, Terance Mann has gone from role player to maybe the most valuable player on the FSU roster. A native of New England with a Division I coach for a mom, Mann has always had a high basketball IQ, but has improved in virtually every other area over the course of his Florida State career.

A 6-7 athlete with the ability to handle the ball, Mann has always played stifling on-the-ball defense while remaining efficient offensively. After shooting 58 percent from the field in each of his first two seasons at FSU and averaging 5.2 and 8.4 points, respectively, Mann enjoyed a breakout junior season, leading the Seminoles in scoring for most of the campaign.

During the 2017-18 season, Mann averaged 12.6 points on 57 percent shooting with a career-best 30 points in a victory over Georgia Tech. Mann’s offense however, wasn’t his only strength. Perhaps his signature defensive play was a game-saving block in an 80-76 road win at Louisville late in his junior campaign. With a trip to the Elite Eight on the line, Mann enjoyed his best NCAA Tournament effort in a 75-60 upset of Gonzaga in which he scored 18 points on an efficient 8-for-13 shooting and grabbed five rebounds.

Throughout his career, Mann has been known for his ability to fill up the box score and has served as the leading rebounder for the Seminoles in each of the last two seasons. In a win over Connecticut earlier this season, Mann eclipsed the 1,000-point total for his career. Often regarded as a sub-par shooter, Mann has significantly improved that aspect of his game as a senior, shooting better than 46 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and nearly 78 percent from the foul line. In addition to leading the team in rebounds and 3-point percentage, Mann ranks in the top 3 for FSU in scoring, assists, blocks and field goal percentage.

David Nichols, G

David Nichols became an important piece off the bench during his only season at FSU. (Mike Olivella/FSU athletics)


After three seasons at Albany, David Nichols arrived at Florida State as a graduate transfer prior to the season. Tasked largely with replacing the production from the departed C.J. Walker, Nichols got off to a slow start for the Seminoles before ultimately finding his footing and role on the team.

A solid ball handler with the ability to make the outside shot, Nichols has scored in double figures on seven occasions this season. When that happens, FSU is 6-1. Shooting better than 34 percent from beyond the arc for the season, Nichols has been a big part of FSU’s resurgence in ACC play.

He was named MVP of the Orange Bowl Classic after scoring 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting in an 81-59 win over Saint Louis on Dec. 22. For the year, Nichols is averaging 6.6 points per game.

P.J. Savoy, G

P.J. Savoy leads Florida State in made 3-pointers. (Collin Abbey/FSU athletics)


A sharpshooter from Las Vegas, P.J. Savoy’s ability to shoot the basketball has never been in doubt. In his third game as a member of the Seminoles, Savoy scored a career-high 27 points while knocking down seven 3-pointers in a win over Southern Mississippi in December 2017.

Savoy’s role for Leonard Hamilton and crew hasn’t changed, but he has improved as a ball handler and a defender over his three seasons in Tallahassee. Perhaps the defining moment of Savoy’s career came in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. With less than two minutes to play, Savoy knocked down the 3-pointer that put the Seminoles ahead for good in a 75-70 upset of Xavier — FSU’s first win ever over a No. 1 seed.

Although his field goal percentages have declined as a senior this season, Savoy is averaging career-highs in free throw percentage, rebounds, blocks and steals. He’s scored in double figures eight times this season and leads the team in made 3-pointers.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

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