A former ACC Coach of the Year has announced his intention to step down from his job at the end of the college basketball season.
Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton will resign at the end of the season after 23 years as head coach, he announced Monday. The 76-year-old said he would help the school with the transition to a new coach, but he did not explicitly say he was retiring.
“Every head coach inherits a legacy and is obligated to leave the job better than they inherited it. I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish here over the last 23 seasons,” Hamilton said in a statement, via Jim Henry of the Tallahassee Democrat. “We were a consistent contender, and we created success for our players during their time here. So many of them have gone on to be successful in life. I hope that it will be remembered as my legacy. I look forward to working with our administration during this transition and being as helpful as possible through this process.”
Hamilton, 76, was in the final year of his Florida State contract. He was recently sued by six of his former players, who alleged that the coach reneged on a promise to get each of them $250,000 in NIL money. It is not clear if that was a factor in Hamilton’s decision to step aside.
Hamilton has 456 career wins at Florida State and 656 overall at the college level. He was honored as ACC Coach of the Year three times during his tenure, most recently in 2020. His Seminoles are 13-9 overall this season and just 4-7 in ACC play. Florida State last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021, when Hamilton garnered some attention for coaching through a fairly significant injury.
