FSU Fan Favorite - Andrew Wilson - Now An Asst Coach For Bobby Cremins

Article published Dec 20, 2006
Different style for Wilson
By Jack Corcoran
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
After playing 129 games over parts of six seasons with the Florida State men's basketball team, Andrew Wilson wasn't sure how he would react when he finally had the opportunity to check out the Seminoles on TV.

"I found myself jumping up and down and really getting into the game," Wilson said.

FSU's upset of defending NCAA champion Florida on Dec. 3 was Wilson's first chance to watch his former teammates. He doesn't have much leisure time in his first season as an assistant coach under Bobby Cremins at the College of Charleston.

"I'm still adjusting to not being a player," Wilson said. "Six months ago I was still playing, trying to get into the NCAA tournament. And now all of a sudden, I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm really learning a lot."

Wilson was recruited to play at Georgia Tech by Cremins but signed with Steve Robinson and Florida State. His injury-plagued career with the Seminoles included four seasons with Leonard Hamilton, whose play-the-percentages style differs greatly from the approach Cremins used to become the Yellow Jackets' all-time wins leader.

"Exactly the opposite," Wilson said. "Coach Cremins is not a guy to play the percentages and play the odds. He's a guy that likes to take chances. That's the way he's been successful through the years. Everybody has their own way."

Cremins went 354-237 at Georgia Tech from 1982-2000. He left broadcasting to get back into coaching, taking over the Cougars on July 3. Wilson, who earned a master's degree in sport administration at FSU, was hired in August.

The College of Charleston improved to 5-6 on Monday with a 70-49 victory over Coastal Carolina (4-5), which visits FSU (9-2) on Thursday.

Season-ending knee and wrist injuries were frustrating at the time but allowed Wilson, 24, to stay so long at FSU. His luck sure has turned around.

"Trust me, I realize how fortunate I am right now to land a job like this at such a young age," Wilson said. "I realize there aren't a whole lot of guys around the country who get done playing and immediately are thrown into full-time assistant jobs."