After flirting with pro ball and the portal, Florida State’s Watkins talks about decision to return to Seminoles

When Florida State’s season ended in March at the ACC Tournament, leading scorer Jamir Watkins wasn’t sure where he would be playing the following season.

Could be at a different school. In a different conference. Could be as a professional. Either in this country or overseas.

Well, it turns out he’s going to finish his college career in Tallahassee.

Watkins, who led the Seminoles in scoring in 2023-2024 and was the team’s best in numerous other categories, announced late last week he’d be back for one final ride in the garnet and gold.

“I would really say the family I already built with the coaching staff,” Watkins said on why he returned to FSU. “My teammates. It really just led me back coming here. Going somewhere where I was loved instead of where people are just going to tolerate me because of my talent that I bring to the table.

“… I was communicating with (the FSU staff) throughout the whole process, so me coming back was a no-brainer.”

The senior had plenty of options. He’s one of the best returning players in the ACC and when he entered the transfer portal — after first participating in the NBA Combine — he was considered the No. 1 player in the entire portal.

So, quite obviously, this was an enormous get/retainment for the Florida State coaching staff, which is going to have to integrate a whole lot of new faces into a roster that now at least features an all-conference caliber performer in Watkins.

“I was just talking to Coach Ham about it,” Watkins said. “I feel like one thing we lacked last year was just like us being connected off the court, which leads us to being way better on the court. We do a lot of switching and that comes with a lot of communication.

“So, us just connecting off the court is going to help us way more than it did last year.”

Watkins being back is a big boost either way.

The VCU transfer had a breakout year in 2023-2024, averaging 15.6 points per game. He also led the Seminoles in rebounds and steals and was second in assists and blocked shots. His 205 free-throw attempts were also more than double the next-closest player on the team in that category and he wound up shooting 34.4 percent from 3-point range. Not terrible, but not great either. Especially if he’s trying to play at the next level.

Which was part of the feedback he got from NBA scouts after his combine performance.

“They loved my high energy and my physicality,” Watkins said. “They thought I need to improve on my reads throughout the ball screens and improve my 3-point shot-making. Just staying consistent with it.”

Florida State hoops off to the Bayou

In other basketball news, it was announced on Wednesday that Florida State will take on LSU in the annual ACC-SEC Showdown this upcoming season. The game will be played in Baton Rouge on Dec. 3.

***Talk about this story with passionate Florida State Basketball fans on the Seminole Hoops***

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