The Alaskan Assassin Bids Farewell

On Saturday the Noles will honor five seniors before they take on the Syracuse Orange. Boris Bojanovsky, Devon Bookert, Montay Brandon, Michael Ojo (Ojo could be granted a medical redshirt) and Michael Saxton will play their last game in the Civic Center but this article is not about these five seniors, it is about the one who has made Seminole fans everywhere proud. Devon Bookert, the Alaskan Assassin, has had an amazing senior year. I will not give my opinion on the other seniors that play as I am glad they are moving on but we will miss Devon Bookert next year. Bookert is the closest thing that the 'Noles have had to a leader this year and you could see his frustration and disappointment during Florida State's recent 5 game losing streak. The senior from Alaska, would be awesome to have next year if Bacon and Beasley were to come back and accompany Jonathan Isaac but that won't happen. This article is about appreciating Devon Bookert for the player he is and understanding that he was asked to do too much in his previous three years.

The biggest mistake of Devon Bookert's career was riding on a scooter with Boris when they were both injured in a crash. Bojo did not miss any time and Bookert ended up having knee surgery to clean up his knee. Some people say that he never quite regained his quickness from before the accident, but who knows, we never saw him play before the accident. His freshman year, Bookert shot 52.5% from behind the arch and flashed potential to be Florida State's first true point guard since Nate Johnson. His sophomore and junior years, did not improve at the rate we would like to have seen but there are many factors that I believe made the Seminole fans be disappointed in his growth. Bookert is not a pure point guard being number one. He has good vision and basketball IQ, but he loses his value if has to handle the ball a majority of a possession. Bookert is a lethal spot shooter from distance and defenses have to respect him which opens up lanes for players who can get to the basket. Many people have criticized Bookert for his defense in previous years, especially junior year, and then want to say how much he has improved this year defensively. He was not as bad as he was made out to be and here are the reasons why this image is misconstrued. Bookert had to play 35.1 minutes per game guarding the opposing team's best guard after Aaron Thomas was dismissed from the team. At the end of the season Bookert was playing almost the entire game. His defense was not that bad, it was more the product of tired legs from going against some of the best guards in the nation night in and night out. Luckily for Bookert his senior year has gone differently.

Many people, including one of the writers of this blog not named Sean questioned why Bookert even saw the court at the beginning of the season? Some people just do not appreciate a good role player. That is what Devon Bookert is a role player, but he is the kind of role player who wins a game for his team. He has hit big shots, made big time defensive plays, and provided energy and leadership off the bench. Any team in the country would take a player like Devon Bookert. With Florida State's chances of making the tournament extremely low, it truly bugs me that he will not play in the NCAA Tournament. This kid has played his heart out for a team that has flat out lacked "it" at times. I don't see a tournament run happening this year but I would love to see Devon Bookert play in the NCAA Tournament one more time. With Senior Day on Saturday, I hope Florida State wins against Syracuse in convincing fashion because Devon Bookert deserves a standing ovation when Leonard Hamilton subs him out for the last time. Next year's team is a big question mark right now but I guarantee we will be wishing Devon Bookert was coming off the bench for the Seminoles. Appreciate him 'Nole Nation, because players like him are not appreciated until they are gone.