FLORIDA — Schools like Kentucky, UNC, Duke and Kansas are considered to be the “blue bloods” of college basketball.


What You Need To Know

  • Florida State had multiple NBA lottery picks

  • Chicago Bulls used their 4th overall pick on Patrick Williams

  • "Blue Blood" schools received no picks

But in last week’s NBA draft, none of those programs had a player selected in the lottery.

In fact, only one school in the country had multiple lottery picks - Florida State.

The Chicago Bulls surprised many when they used their fourth overall pick on Patrick Williams, a 6 ft. 8 inch freshman from Florida State, who never started a game in college.

If you watch FSU basketball, you’ll quickly realize Williams didn’t come off the bench because he lacked talent, but that the Seminoles just do things differently.

“I started with maybe 12 minutes, and I think you see I did well with that 12 minutes, and towards the end of the season, those minutes increased and I just embraced that role. In the NBA, it’s all about roles. Everyone can’t be a LeBron James from day one,” Williams said.

“We win games by committing, and that’s a term I’ve been telling you guys about for 15 years and no one has adjusted so now maybe you guys will start to appreciate that we don’t have a starting five, we have a starting nine,” head coach Leonard Hamilton said.

If fans weren’t playing attention to the Noles before, they should be now.

Before he received his offer from FSU, Devin Vassell held scholarship offers from just two schools, Presbyterian and North Florida.

After just two years in Tallahassee, the 6 ft 4 inch guard became the San Antonio Spurs’ first lottery pick since Tim Duncan.

“He made continued progress with a smile on his face, never complained, worked his butt off, always a great teammate, always positive. Those types of attitudes allow you to be successful,” Hamilton said.

The 2020 NBA draft was a culmination of FSU’s growth over the years.

The Seminoles have made three straight NCAA tournaments and last season they won their first ACC regular season title in school history.

Much like their 71-year-old head coach, the Noles have shown no signs of slowing down.

“We think we have a pretty good formula, I think our guys believe in what we’re doing and obviously the proof is in the pudding,” Hamilton added.