2022 ACC Tipoff Highlights with Florida State Basketball

Wednesday started the 2022-23 Basketball Season as the ACC met in Charlotte, North Carolina for ACC Media Day. Florida State was represented by Head Coach Leonard Hamilton, Junior guard Caleb Mills, and Sophomore wing Matthew Cleveland. Here are some highlights from today's media day. 

Leonard Hamilton

On the loss of Jaylan Gainey, who he said tore his ACL 

- "It makes me very sad because he was a perfect fit for who we are, was as quick as anyone on the team, tremendous shot blocker... only concern of mine was he was smarter than me... we're gonna miss him."

On Naheem McLeod and him being the only 7-footer on the roster

- "There are pluses and minuses to 7-footers and what you're able to do with them. I really feel like McLeod will surprise people with his development."

On Freshman Cameron Corhen and if he's ready to play with the loss of Gainey

- "Expect great things from freshman Cameron Corhen" then mentioned they'll run a lot of small ball this year with the versatility some guys have. 

How has Baba Miller integrated into the team so far

- "He's very talented, very skilled, but he's a youngster. Most first year guys go through a period of adjustment... he seems to be having less of an adjustment." This was definitely the biggest eyeball moment of his interviews to me. Hamilton also said Miller has only been able to practice 5 or 6 times as he recovered from a hip flexor injury, but he's 100% now. 

Overall, Hamilton was as thoughtful and as careful with the media as he always is, but he is very confident in this young team. Despite having 8 new players, he feels they're ahead of schedule and that the team is going to perform really well this season.

Caleb Mills

On having to be a leader this year

- "It's the way the career goes... you develop the characteristics to be a leader, that way you can help the younger guys coming in. I’ve always been a leader by example, learning it’s how important my voice is and how much confidence I can instill in the younger guys."

On the Canada Trip

- "We got on a bus and went into the water... drove straight off the dock... still don't make sense to me." Also said it was a great opportunity to bond with the guys, many of whom had not gone out of the country before. 

On the challenges of last season

- "Last season was a lot of freakish accidents... you can't expect those things, but they do happen... we put in work every day with a goal in mind which is to win, win big, and get Florida State back to where it's been the last few years."

What he's worked on this offseason

- "Trying to gain weight, being more efficient, being a better leader." He has definitely added some weight this offseason, which he needed.

Matthew Cleveland

On the development of his shot and game this offseason

- "Coach Jones has given me a lot of confidence, I talked to him every day this summer and still do. He's like a friend of mine at this point and has given me a lot of confidence. He's been doing this longer than I've been alive. I've been listening to all of the advice he can give me." He feels like he has made great strides in his game this off-season. 

On the Canada Trip even though he didn't play

- "It helped us grow a lot, when you play against each other in practice you don't see the mistakes, when you play a different opponent it helps you realize what you need to work on." Also said because they only knew each other there, they had to grow closer together. 

On bringing along all the new guys in the system

- "Everyone is really talented, their willingness to learn the system is cool." 

Challenges of last season

- "Confidence wise, going in and out of games, not knowing what to expect in college ball and different teams' systems." Mentions he's much more confident and a better overall scorer than he was last season.

All three of these men were extremely thoughtful with their answers and represented Florida State well. We'll have more coverage over the next couple of weeks as we get ready for the season to start. For more quotes, read through my entire Twitter thread, which is linked below.