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FSU Basketball Lands First Transfer Of The Offseason
The Seminoles have landed a pledge from a talented big man.
Leonard Hamilton and Florida State have landed their first transfer of the offseason as Jerry Deng announced his commitment to the Seminoles on Saturday evening. Deng is a 6'9", 220-pound forward who spent his freshman season at Hampton, averaging 10.1 PPG and 4.2 RPG while shooting 39.1% from 3.
This is a prototypical Leonard Hamilton type of forward: long and rangy, athletic, and can space the floor with his shooting. He didn't have the greatest defensive season last year, but he has all the tools to become an elite defensive presence. He commits to the Seminoles after visiting them this weekend and chooses FSU over New Mexico, who he'd visited recently.
Deng told 247sports in an interview "I really related with coach Hamilton and that connection was important for me... My main goal is to win an ACC championship and make March Madness. If we do that everything else will take care of itself."
Florida State's roster has been decimated with attrition so far this offseason, losing six scholarship players to the transfer portal, with a few others running out of eligibility. Only Chandler Jackson, Cam'Ron Fletcher, Taylor Bol Bowen, and Jamir Watkins have not clarified if they'll return or not.
Jerry Deng is FSU's first transfer addition so far this offseason, but they're bringing in at least three high school prospects as well, with AJ Swinton, Christian Nitu, and Daquan Davis all signed. They could add at least one more high school prospect, but the focus from here should be adding experienced transfers that know how to win.
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