Florida State set to honor Sue Semrau ahead of women's basketball game against Duke

Sue Semrau has not missed a Florida State women's basketball game this season.

But for the first time since retiring at the end of last season, the former FSU head coach will be back at Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.

The Seminoles (18-5, 7-3 ACC) are set to honor Semrau pregame Sunday ahead of an ACC contest against No. 16 Duke (18-2, 8-1).

"I've watched every single game on television. I will say that. I can't miss that," Semrau told the Democrat. "I plan my travel schedule around it and yeah, it'll be so fun to see them in person.

"I just feel like the transition from one style of leadership to another has already taken place. That really excites me that Brooke took a foundation and built off of that her own culture. To be able to see that in person is going to be really fun."

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Semrau took over the FSU basketball program in 1997 that had been struggling. She led the Seminoles to 16 NCAA tournament appearances, including three NCAA Elite Eight appearances in 2010, 2015 and 2017. Semrau was named the National Coach of the Year in 2015, earning all-ACC Coach of the Year honor four times and left as the program's winningest const with 470 victories.

"Man, I just feel like I did the best job I could do," Semrau said. "And for Brooke and her staff to have taken time out of a really busy season to put this together, it's very humbling."

Florida State has already surpassed its win total from last season (17-14) and is projected to be an NCAA Tournament team in the first year under Brooke Wykcoff, a former assistant and player for Semrau at FSU.

"We're so excited to honor Coach Sue publically, and give her the recognition she deserves," Wyckoff said. "Last year, we didn't know she would be retiring, so it will be so great to bring her back and have the fans a chance to thank her for everything she had done.

"We're so excited to have her and celebrate her."

A public event in the Tucker Center’s Exhibition Hall will be held for Semrau from 12:30-1:30 p.m. on Sunday to honor the 24-year head coach for FSU.

Semrau will also be celebrated on the court between the first and second quarters of play. Nearly 50 FSU women's basketball alumni are expected to be in attendance, with those players being recognized during halftime.

Men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton, former FSU senior women's administrator Vanessa Fuchs, athletics director Michael Alford, professor Mark Zeigler, as well as boosters Beth and Lawton Langford will speak at the ceremony.

"Everything about Coach Sue is all love with everything, basketball-wise, family-wise, and just what she's showing what she does for us. That's what makes her the person she is," former FSU star point guard Courtney Ward told the Democrat.

"It's gonna be definitely an excitement to go show her all the love that we have for her for all the years she was at Florida State. It's going to be big, so I'm excited to be a part of it."

Ward, who said she arrives in town Saturday, will be among the former players in attendance to honor Semrau.

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A purposeful decision to not attend games

The FSU roster from the final game Semrau coached to the one that has taken the court this season is different.

Graduate senior Valencia Meyers, redshirt senior Erin Howard, senior Sarah Bejedi, as well as sophomores Mikayla Timpson, Mariana Valenzuela and O'Mariah Gordon are among the returners.

"I miss her being on the sideline and I wish I could see her in the stands," Myers said. "But I know why she hasn't done it and it's going to be very exciting to see her watch us live in person."

Eight players graduated or entered the transfer portal, while four players are newcomers.

Not attending a game during the beginning stages of the season was purposeful, as Semrau understood the importance of allowing her former assistant to grow her own voice.

"That was really important in my opinion for Brooke to be able to establish her culture, not have to have to think about somebody looking over her shoulder," Semrau said. "To not have the players have to feel like they needed to figure out who am I in their life.

"I wanted it to be a really seamless transition for a new coach. Not for a former assistant, or a former player, but for a new coach. And she is taken that and run with it. She has a fantastic group of players, a fantastic staff and I'm just super proud of her."

Myers came to FSU as the 63rd-ranked player in the 2018 class according to ESPNW. She made an immediate impact for the Seminoles as a freshman, recording the most blocked shots (54) by an FSU freshman since Jacinta Monroe in 2006-07, which also tied for ninth-most in program single-season history.

"I absolutely love Coach Sue for everything she had done for this program and me personally," Myers said. "I just love our relationship and I just love the woman she is. She's dedicated to change and she's definitely changed my life and many other people's.

"She has put a lot of trust in me and is extremely supportive of me. She takes mental health seriously and she's one of those people who says it, who sticks to it and helps you in the best way she can."

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Coming full circle

In her first season as the FSU head coach, Semrau led the Seminoles to a 9-18 overall record in 1997-98. By her fourth season, Florida State reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Seminoles had a combined record of 27-85 (.241) in the four years before her arrival.

A key figure in her rebuild of the culture and play of the Seminoles was star-player Wyckoff.

As a freshman, Wyckoff averaged 9.9 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists per game for the Seminoles during the 1997-98 season on 47% shooting.

In her senior season, Wyckoff averaged 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists as the Seminoles reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991.

Twenty-five years later, Semrau said Wyckoff has inherited a similar situation, with stud freshman Ta'Niya Latson serving as the pillar of her rebuild of the FSU culture.

"The thing I think about a lot is we came into Florida State and we had to build something and we had a Brooke Wyckoff as a freshman," Semrau said. "She helped me build, we called it 'phase one.' And then at some point, we were like, 'okay, we're moving to phase two now.' And phase two had a player like that, Nathasa Howard, who, again, did something at an even higher level than Brooke can do.

"Now you've got 'phase three' and Ta'Niya Latson. And it's just so fun to move through those different phases and I will always love to see what happens with Florida State women's basketball."

Semrau does deserve credit for originally getting the commitment from the 5-star player. Wyckoff also credited her for "phase three" and the foundation of the program.

"She has been the biggest factor," Wyckoff said. "I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for her, in terms of what she has invested in me as a player, as a person and as a coach. She built this place into what it is today in terms of Florida State women's basketball.

"It's an honor to be a part of that and to continue her legacy."

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Ward makes history

Ward, who played for FSU and Semrau from 2007-11, was on the first Elite Eight Seminoles' team in 2010. She is now following in the footsteps of Semrau as a trailblazer in the coaching industry.

Last year, Ward became the first woman in Alabama history to ever lead a boy's basketball team to the Final Four, when she led the Class 6A Park Crossing (Montgomery, Ala.) boy's team to the semifinals of the AHSAA championship tournament.

"I call (Semrau) for all types of opinions in coaching," Ward said. "But yeah, it definitely has made a huge impact on what I do. I try to actually integrate it into everything I do.

"I don't treat my program as a high school program. I've treated it as a college program because that's what I'm used to. And it's not just on the court that's, off the court with community service and everything. That's what Coach Sue was really, really huge on, us just being involved in all different types of ways.

"So everything that I definitely saw or was told in college by Coach Sue, that's definitely what I tried to implement with me since day one."

Game information

Who: No. 24 Florida State (18-5, 7-3 ACC) vs. No. 16 Duke (18-2, 8-1)

When/Where: Sunday, 2 p.m.; Donald L. Tucker Civic Center

TV/Radio: ACC Network/101.5 FM

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU set to honor Sue Semrau ahead of women's basketball game against Duke