How can Luke Loucks turn Florida State around using the transfer portal?

Florida State is ushering in a new era of men's basketball, as Luke Loucks has taken over as the successor for Leonard Hamilton. The 2024-25 season officially ended once FSU was not included in the NIT bracket, which gives Coach Loucks about a week before the transfer portal officially opens on March 24th to build out his staff and put together a target board.

The transfer portal can be a tremendous tool for teams to turn around quickly, but it can also become a hindrance if you don't use it correctly. Coach Hamilton never found ways to succeed with the portal, but Loucks' best chance at immediate success is to build through the portal.

Florida State Seminoles guard DaQuan Davis (5) looks to pass as head coach Leonard Hamilton looks on during the first half against the North Carolina Tarheels at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Coach Loucks said in a press conference on Thursday that most of the 2024-25 roster will not return. Part of that is the current nature of college basketball, and part of that is players not fitting the scheme that he will be implementing. There are a few players who he has confirmed will be back, but I imagine that number is small.

Taylor Bol Bowen already hit the portal on Wednesday afternoon, and more are likely to follow suit soon, most notably Malique Ewin.

Ewin likely fits what Coach Loucks will want to do, as his ball-handling and passing are rare for a big. Loucks is coming from systems like the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors that have bigs capable of running the offense (Domantas Sabonis, Draymond Green). The Kings are second in the NBA in dribble handoffs, something I'd imagine Loucks will utilize more than FSU did, but Loucks needs capable players for that; no one is more capable than Ewin.

But there are doubts about Ewin's impact on winning, especially on the defensive end. He's an incredible offensive player and a solid rebounder, but he also lost FSU some games because of some bad fouls. With his offensive production, he's likely to be a very hot commodity if he were to enter the portal.

One player who could fill that role if Ewin departs, and one I imagine Loucks will prioritize, is Alier Maluk. Maluk was supposed to be a senior in high school last season and has an immense ceiling as a scorer, defender, and facilitator. He still has a lot of growing to do physically and in terms of basketball IQ, but his ceiling is not one the Seminoles will want to give up on.

Another one I expect to be prioritized is Daquan Davis. His ability to push the ball up the floor got Florida State a few buckets they otherwise wouldn't have this season, but he does need to fix his jumper. He shot 24/86 from three this season, and his jumpshot has a weird release at the top. If he fixes that and becomes a 35% shooter, he could become the ideal guard for Loucks with his speed and quickness.

The last player I expect FSU to prioritize is AJ Swinton, who showed flashes of an elite 3&D wing, shooting 9/25 (36%) from three in 28 games this season. His athleticism is off the charts, and he could grow into an NBA-caliber wing. Swinton, Maluk, and Davis would give Coach Loucks three young players who can play right away, while the rest of the roster should be filled with quality transfers. But just because I expect them to be prioritized doesn't mean they'll stay. It's common for programs undergoing coaching changes to lose every player, or at least a vast majority of them.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the rest of the roster hit the portal, including Jamir Watkins, who somehow still has a year of eligibility remaining because he still has his COVID year (my expectation for him is to go to the NBA, but there will be offers for him to come back to college and transfer).

Rebuilding Florida State Through the Transfer Portal

Three major conference teams won single-digit games in the 2023-24 season, got a new coach, and then turned it around to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament just 12 months later: Louisville, Michigan, and Vanderbilt. Florida State went 17-15 this season, much better than those programs did a season prior, but what can Coach Loucks learn from those quick rebuilds? Loucks even mentioned Louisville in his introductory press conference, so you know he has some ideas.

The common theme between those three teams is they chased certain types of players: proven major conference talents, seniority, and winning mid-major players. Let's break those down further.

Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey looks on during the first half of the game against the Creighton Bluejays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Of Louisville's 12 transfers they brought in this season, six came from power conference schools, and the other six all were on teams that had won their conference, either regular season or the tournament. Nine of their transfers made the NCAA Tournament in 2024. They also had 11 juniors, seniors, and graduate transfers. That kind of success and leadership in one locker room was vital to the team's turnaround. Let's apply that to Michigan and Vanderbilt.

Michigan brought in six transfers: three high major and three mid-major. Four of those six players had NCAA Tournament experience, and their leading scorer this season was the best player on a Final Four team at Florida Atlantic (a rare occurrence since he followed his coach from FAU to Michigan). This team won the Big Ten this year. Their top six scorers were all experienced juniors and seniors.

Vanderbilt, which is probably the most similar to FSU's situation, brought in 10 transfers: six high-major and four mid-major. While only one of those mid-major transfers had NCAA Tournament experience at James Madison, another one won over 20 games at Cornell. They are a little bit of an exception, though, as their leading scorer averaged nearly 20 PPG at North Texas in the American Conference, which straddles that line between mid-major and high-major. They had eight juniors or seniors, including their top four scorers.

Florida State only had one junior or senior in their top five scorers last season: Jamir Watkins. He was the one transfer the Seminoles landed the last few years who fit the billing as a player coming from a winning program, as VCU won the A-10 and made the NCAA Tournament his last season there. While many didn't expect the jump he took at Florida State, it's also not a surprise. That should be a lesson for Coach Loucks as he figures out how to use the transfer portal for the first time.

FSU has never landed more than three players in the transfer portal in an offseason. They need to land likely triple that if they want to have a successful 2025-26. Coach Hamilton tried to replace departures in the transfer portal with unheralded freshmen, leading to players like Anastasios Rozakeas and Christian Nitu, who likely wouldn't have been on an ACC team otherwise. If the Seminoles want to bring in 1-2 high-ceiling freshmen to redshirt and develop, that would be fine, but it can't be how it's been the last few years where Coach Hamilton was bringing in 5-6 freshmen. That doesn't win in college basketball these days.

NIL will be an issue, though. While the exact number hasn't been solidified, FSU is expected to have the lowest NIL budget in the ACC. That'll make things very difficult. Coach Loucks was asked about it in his introductory press conference, and he essentially said they're going to sell being able to make more money in their professional careers, but that won't always land with recruits and transfers.

There are just a few days remaining before the portal opens for everybody. Some players are already hitting the portal if there's been a coaching change, but the market is about to be busy and active. FSU, Coach Loucks, and his staff should have types of targets in mind for if and when they hit the portal.

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