FSU's Terrance Shannon comfortable in 6th man role

Florida St. Seminoles forward Terrance Shannon went to head coach Leonard Hamilton before the season began, attempting to convince him not to put him in the starting lineup for the Seminoles this season. Last year in the sixth-man role, Shannon averaged 8.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while playing 17.4 minutes per game, despite missing much of the season with a shoulder injury:

"It sounds strange, but I'm in love with that sixth-man role," Shannon said. "I feel like we need that spark coming off the bench. We have a strong lineup starting. I just feel like we need someone coming off the bench to maintain it and bring energy."

In Saturday's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic championship game, Shannon showed how effective by scoring 15 points, 11 in the second half and grabbing 10 rebounds in 27 minutes against the St. Joseph's Hawks. The Seminoles wound up winning 73-66. Hamilton wasn't surprised, but he was happy with how he played and the energy he provided coming off the bench:

"I'm not surprised by what he's done at all," Hamilton said. "He's kind of getting back into playing shape because he missed all of last year. ... Terrance will always get starters' minutes; he just wants to come off the bench. He loves bringing energy off the bench."

Shannon had a key play in the second half when he grabbed a rebound, threw an outlet pass, ran the floor and finished the play with a reverse alley-oop to give the Seminoles a lead that they would not relinquish.

"That was just one of those plays," Shannon said. "I didn't even see the rim until I caught the ball. Like I said, I'm an energy guy. Whatever gets my team going, I'll try anything."