BREAKING: Florida State officially names Luke Loucks as next men's basketball coach

For the first time in 23 years, Florida State is bringing in a new head coach for the men's basketball team. Leonard Hamilton has manned the helm since 2002 but announced that he would be stepping down at season's end. That opened a coaching search, and Michael Alford has found his guy.

Florida State has announced that Luke Loucks will succeed Coach Hamilton, becoming just the eighth coach in program history. Loucks has been an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings since 2022, but he has also made stops with the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors as a coach in the NBA. The deal is expected to be for five years.

It’s official ✍️ Luke Loucks is the next Head Coach of Florida State Basketball 🍢🏀
Full Story: https://t.co/mH61e3Se7f pic.twitter.com/WB81mdKGNu
— Florida State Men’s Basketball (@FSUHoops) March 9, 2025

This is Loucks' first college coaching opportunity, but he's been an assistant coach of the Nigerian national team when they shockingly beat the United States in an exhibition game before the 2021 Olympics, and he's also been the head coach of a summer league team in the NBA.

Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton reacts during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Loucks played under Coach Hamilton from 2008-2012, becoming the starting point guard of the Florida State team that won the program's first ACC Championship in 2012. He's somehow not the first Loucks to coach the Seminoles, though, as the first coach in program history was one Don Loucks in the 1947-48 season. If there is any relation, it hasn't been specified.

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported that Luke Loucks has been working to fill out his staff throughout the last week or so, including a general manager position for the first time in program history to help navigate the transfer portal. That and NIL will likely define Loucks' tenure as the head coach of the Seminoles and is one of the many challenges coaches face in today's college athletics model. It'll be important for him to build out a staff that has high-level experience recruiting and with the portal.

There was likely an option for Loucks to finish out the year with the Sacramento Kings, as Utah's new coach Alex Jensen is doing with the Dallas Mavericks, but Loucks seems ready to hit the ground running.

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