FSU’s new basketball coach, Luke Loucks, committed to play for Florida State at a time when the program hadn’t yet enjoyed success under Coach Leonard Hamilton. He left as a senior who was a starting point guard on an ACC Tournament championship team.
Now, after 13 years in pro basketball — first as a player, later as a video coordinator and then NBA assistant coach — Loucks has returned to FSU with a wealth of experience. That includes NBA championships in 2017 and ’18, learning from longtime coaches like Steve Kerr and Mike Brown.
Loucks brings a version of the Golden State Warriors’ and Sacramento Kings’ playbooks to FSU, running a frenetic offense with a roster infusion of experienced mid-major guards and forwards. “I’m asking a lot of these guys because this is a pace and a style that most have never played in,” Loucks said. “But it’s not just the offense. It’s the defense, too. Your body is going to have to adjust. Or like you saw in the preseason we won’t make shots.”
After admitting the exhibitions were sloppy (22 turnovers), Loucks is nevertheless very encouraged. FSU’s staff brought in Kobe MaGee (Drexel), Lajae Jones (St. Bonaventure), Robert McCray V (Jacksonville), Chauncey Wiggins (Clemson) and Alex Steen (Florida Southern) who are seniors and were either starters or significant contributors at their previous schools. They will anchor a team that also features some rising young talent (Martin Somerville, Thomas Bassong and Cam Miles) as well as two returning players in sophomores AJ Swinton and Alier Maluk. “I want them to play free,” Loucks said. “I want them to shoot when they feel like they’re open. But most importantly I want them to share the ball offensively and create great shots every time down.”
Loucks continues a trend of ACC players who are leading their alma maters, a list that also includes Duke’s Jon Scheyer, North Carolina’s Hubert Davis and Syracuse’s Adrian Autrey (Duke standout Jeff Capel also leads Pittsburgh).
FSU opened the 2025-26 season against Alcorn State, a schedule as tough as any in memory, including dates with five preseason ranked teams (No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 Duke, No. 11 Louisville and No. 25 North Carolina) plus a road matchup against Dayton, which played in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Jerry Kutz
The Osceola
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