Dec. 6, 2007

By Bill Hass
theACC.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. - There's nothing like the arrival of a basketball player's senior season to put things in perspective.

"This is it," said Florida State's Isaiah Swann. "There's no next year."

One of three scholarship seniors on the Seminole roster, Swann seems determined to do everything he can to help get his team to the NCAA Tournament, something that has eluded Florida State during his career.

And he believes he knows how to accomplish just that, despite the fact that the Seminoles are without the distinguished Al Thornton, now playing in the NBA.

"We're on a mission," Swann said. "We're getting better every day. It's no secret that we don't have Al, so we're trying to gel together, learning to play to each other's strengths. There's not one guy who's going to do it every night, so we have to play team ball."

One of the questions about this season would be how the Seminoles would replace the 20 points per game that Thornton delivered. Swann has stepped into the breech so far, averaging 14.4 points to lead the team.

"We have to win games by committee," said coach Leonard Hamilton. "It's not going to be the same player every night."

Hamilton said he's not surprised that Swann is the scoring leader so far. But Toney Douglas (12.9), Uche Echefu (10.0), Jason Rich (9.3) and Ralph Mims (8.9) will all take their turns on any given night.

"Isaiah has always been an outstanding shooter, no question," Hamilton said. "He has improved his game every year. Now he realizes we need him to become more of a leader on and off the court."

That's a role Swann said he's willing to accept, along with fellow seniors Rich and Mims.

"We've been in every situation, good and bad, and we know how to execute on the road," Swann said. "We're looking to be a great team and we're the ones who have to get it rolling, the ones who have to ignite the fire."

So far, Florida State has gotten it rolling with eight wins in 10 games, including a 65-51 thrashing of Florida. Although the Gators are quite a different team than the one that won the last two national titles, that game is their only loss this season and it came on their home court.

"Everything went right," Swann said. "We knew what we had to do and everybody was so selfless. That's the big picture. We have to do that every game.

"We had a couple of losses (Cleveland State and South Florida) where we didn't play like that. And in the past, we've played our hearts out in big games like Duke and (North) Carolina but gotten blown out by teams we should have beaten. That has to change."

Swann came to Florida State via Hargrave Military after his high school career in Germantown, Md. He was good enough to play in the rotation as a freshman, averaging 5.2 per game.

Although he always had the ability to launch 3-point shots, his accuracy at first left something to be desired.

"I've been taking those shots since the ninth grade, but it has taken me awhile to start making them," he said with a laugh. "My freshman year, I would take those deep threes early in a game. Sometimes they would hit the side of the backboard and the next thing I heard was the horn (for a substitution). So I worked on it."

Swann has become much more accurate behind the arc, hitting 47.4 percent of those shots this season. He feels confident from about halfway between the midcourt line and the 3-point line, from the top of the key to the wings and the corner.

And Hamilton has become comfortable with letting Swann fire away.

"There was an adjustment period of him to us and of us to him," Hamilton said. "He has grown with his understanding of the game and his communication with his teammates. He's an unselfish player, and he has only scratched the surface of what he's capable of doing."

As Swann is quick to point out, he's not a one-dimensional player. He leads the team in assists (3.6), is second in rebounding (4.7) and is the squad's most accurate foul shooter (29 of 30 for 96.7 percent).

"I'm dong whatever I can - rebounds, assists, steals - to get us a win," he said. "If I score two points and we win, I'm happy."

Not that Hamilton wants to see him go that far. The coach expects Swann to be consistently productive and is even looking to get him a few more shots in the offense.

The Seminoles have an unusual lineup, starting three guards and sometimes playing four at a time. Although Mims and Douglas are the primary ballhandlers, Swann and Rich are also capable of running the point. Hamilton believes that flexibility and the experience the four bring to the floor can mean the difference in close games.

Not that the Seminoles are locked into a small lineup. Echefu, at 6-9, is a constant post presence. And freshmen Solomon Alabi (7-1) and Julian Vaughn (6-10) will provide more of a force later in the season as they gain experience.

Florida State's next game is at home Saturday against Maine. A week later, the Seminoles have a tough road test at nationally ranked Butler. While those rate as important games in building an NCAA resume, the proof of how good the Seminoles are will come in ACC play.

"We're the underdogs," Swann said, "but (the rest of the ACC) better look out because we're not going to take a back seat this year."

Not if Swann can keep igniting the fire.

Bill Hass is a long-time observer of ACC sports. His career at the Greensboro News & Record spanned 36 years, from 1969 until his retirement in March, 2006. He is now writing "Bill Hass on the ACC" for theACC.com. His weekly columns will keep fans plugged in to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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