Mike Norvell: Florida State must guard against the desire to exhale after 3-0 start

Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles are off to the program’s best start since 2015. With a 3-0 start, they will now continue on with conference play with their ACC home opener against Boston College. A start like this might lead some to be more complacent heading into this weekend’s game against the Eagles. However, Norvell isn’t ready to pat anyone on the back just yet.

Norvell spoke about Florida State avoiding any early satisfaction during media after Tuesday’s practice. He says it’s a value of his that he has instilled in this program to keep a level head, regardless of the outcomes. He wants to keep his players uncomfortable in order for them to reach their real ambitions this season.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

“I mean you guard against (complacency) daily, whether it’s good or bad. It goes back to the objective. Today we’ve got to be better,” said Norvell. “I know it’s repetitive but it’s what I believe. It’s what we believe as a program so you have to guard against it every day because human nature wants to exhale. Whether you’re 0-3 or 3-0, the human mind wants to be comfortable. You’ve got to be willing to make yourself uncomfortable ultimately for what you want. And I want to see this team play our best game.”

Florida State has proven itself early through three games. After their debut against Duquesne, they won a defacto road game against LSU and gritted out a comeback road win in the ACC over Louisville almost two weeks later. After four straight losing seasons, this is the kind of start everyone in Tallahassee was hoping for. Still, Mike Norvell refuses to take the wins for what they are and instead wants to evaluate how to best help his team improve based on his takeaways.

“After the game in a locker room, we’re all excited we won. Everybody is and you celebrate that. Too much work goes into it to not, but there’s a balance. What do we do to get better from that? Because there were areas in that game that showed up or it was uncharacteristic,” said Norvell. “It’s our job to get it fixed this week…We gotta go out there and we’ve got to play our ball. Those are the steps I want to see.”

A mindset like Mike Norvell’s is exactly what Florida State needs in its program. After a few seasons away from national relevance, he has demanded constant improvement from them. If they continue to win, only then can they congratulate themselves on their journey towards their ultimate goals this year.