IrishIllustrated.com - Looking to mix the old with the new

August 3, 2008

The Florida State men's basketball team will return to the court in a little over three months, again with hopes of ending its NCAA Tournament drought. After finishing the 2007-2008 season at 19-15 with a first-round loss in the National Invitational Tournament, returning players are looking forward to this coming season inside the Tucker Center.

"We are ready," senior reserve guard Brian Hoff said. "We have new blood in here. We have six new players, looking forward to seeing all of them. Solomon (Alabi) is coming back. We should be ready."

Alabi, the 7-foot-1, 241-pound center from Kaduna, Nigeria, was granted a redshirt after a leg injury required surgery and limited him to just 10 games last season. Alabi will enter the season as still a freshman in terms of eligibility.

While Alabi averaged only 3.5 points and two rebounds before the injury, he and the rest of the Seminoles expect bigger things from him this coming season. As for the injury, he has yet to be cleared to return to the court but he doesn't expect that to continue into the season.

"I am feeling a lot better now," Alabi said. "I have been working out in the weight room, riding the bike, and that is all I have been doing since I am not cleared to play yet. That is what I have been doing to stay in shape. I am feeling really good."

As for the upcoming season, Alabi said he cannot wait to get back on the court and see what the newest version of Leonard Hamilton's squad will look like.

"I am looking forward to the season," Alabi said. "I am excited about it. Me and my teammates just have to give it our all. ? I believe this is going to be a great season."

Those teammates will include six new faces ? guards Pierre Jordan, Luke Loucks, Deividas Dulkys, and Derwin Kitchen as well as forwards Xavier Gibson and Chris Singleton.

Singleton, rated a five-star prospect by Rivals.com, is the most highly regarded player among the group but Kitchen, a junior college transfer originally from Jacksonville, Fla., may be the one who can make the most immediate impact.

While practice has yet to officially start, all of the new players with the exception of Kitchen have had a chance to interact with their new teammates throughout the summer both on and off the court.

"The good thing about all of our newcomers is that they all are good chemistry guys," Hoff said. "None of them are me-first, they are all easy to play with. We have been playing pick-up and they have been doing real well. We are excited to have all of them."

Alabi echoed Hoff's sentiments about their new teammates.

"They are all good guys," Alabi said. "We are getting along real good. We are all good together. That is a good sign."

While Alabi started only game last season, his first year at the collegiate level taught him many lessons, lessons he intends to share with his new teammates.

"You just have to stay focused," Alabi said. "You just have to get together and work hard."

Gone from the Seminoles is the guard trio of Jason Rich, Isaiah Swann, and Ralph Mims, all three of whom averaged double-figures in scoring last season. Also gone is key reserve, forward Matt Zitani. Freshman forward Julian Vaughn also transferred to Georgetown since the conclusion of last season.

That means that Alabi joins senior forward Uche Echefu, senior guard Toney Douglas, and junior forward Ryan Reid as the only returning Seminoles with starting experience. The quartet who combined to start 87 games last season will be looked upon to guide a relatively young roster.

Douglas is the Seminoles most celebrated returning starter, having earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2007-08 after averaging 15.4 points per game. He also led the ACC in steals with 2.7 per game. Douglas scored in double figures in all but two games and averaged more than 18 points per game in ACC play. Echefu will look to increase his numbers to a double-double level after averaging 10 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a junior. Reid, who will likely face a suspension due to an off-season incident, proved a valuable reserve in the front court last season averaging 5.6 points and five rebounds per game.

Sophomore Jordan Demercy, who had a very limited role last season, will also be looked upon to increase his contribution this coming season.

While the Seminoles lack experienced depth, none of them were using the words "rebuilding year" in regards to this team.

"We are looking for a great season," Echefu said.