FSU alum Sam Cassell thrilled to be cheering on Seminoles in Rose Bowl
Clippers assistant coach Sam Cassell is thrilled by the opportunity to once again be a fan.
Cassell, who played college basketball at Florida State, will be cheering on the Seminoles at the Rose Bowl, which pits Oregon and Florida State in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
In 2008, Cassell's No. 10 basketball jersey was retired at FSU. His teammate on the basketball team, Charlie Ward, won the Heisman Trophy in 1993 while playing both sports. While Cassell could watch the Rose Bowl from the sideline, he'll be sitting in the stands.
"I don't like sitting on the sideline. I want to get in the crowd. I want to feel the atmosphere," Cassell said. "Get me a couple of tickets and sit in the crowd. I want to do the fight song. I want to go back to my Florida State days and reminisce and be a part of the whole ceremony."
Cassell, when asked, even hummed a bit of the fight song.
Asked how he thought the game would play out, Cassell said: "It will be a good game. We've been there before. I think our guys, having the best quarterback in the country, we understand what it takes to win.
Rivers: 'It doesn't matter' if Clippers like each other
"I think (Jameis Winston) has been waiting for this for a long, long time, not being invited back to the Heisman Trophy ceremony, which is cool. But hey, the game is still played on the field. I think he's looking forward to that, showing the country and the world how good his team is. I think he's one of the best leaders in college football."
Winston won the Heisman last year, but Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota won it this year. Still, Cassell likes Winston and the undefeated Seminoles.
"He's pretty good," Cassell said of Mariota. "He's got a couple blemishes on his record. Jameis doesn't, so we'll see."
The Clippers aren't likely to practice Thursday following a frenzy of games, capped off by Wednesday's win over the New York Knicks. And even if the Clippers were to practice, Cassell is confident he'd be able to make it to Pasadena for the 2 p.m. kickoff.
"Football brings all the fans out, even if you don't like football," Cassell said. "This is the most exciting part of the year, football. College football."
