He’s Got Next
As Florida State University’s new men’s basketball head coach, Luke Loucks is building a program that reflects his competitive nature and honors his alma mater
After almost a decade as an assistant coach in the NBA, former Florida State University point guard Luke Loucks has returned to his alma mater to replace Leonard Hamilton, his legendary former coach, who retired at the end of the 2024-25 season.
“I was in a pretty good spot in the NBA, which is the highest league of basketball in the world, and I was on a good path with some great organizations,” says Loucks, 35, who was previously an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. “I didn’t have [the FSU head coaching job] on my radar. But when the calls started coming in about whether I was interested, and those calls led to interviews, my wife, Stevi, realized it made a lot of sense on a personal and emotional level.”
Not only can Loucks, his wife, and their three kids now be closer to family in a town where they have fond memories, but he can forge a program that best reflects his competitive nature. Already, he’s hired assistant coaches that are as fiery as he is and recruited players who are eager to work hard—and win—on and off the court. The key to the Seminoles’ success, Loucks says, will be building strong bonds between coaches and players.
Photo courtesy of Florida State University
“Collectively, when you do that and build relationships with each individual player, they realize they have to sacrifice a little bit and embrace their role—and whatever that role is on a team—to help us win ball games,” he says. “If you do that in the right way, build those connections between players and coaches, those are the teams that go on to win a lot of games and then eventually win championships.”
Born and raised in Clearwater, Loucks was sandwiched between two football-playing older brothers who beat up on him (“It was good for me and made me a better athlete,” he says), and a younger sister who, like him, preferred basketball, which you didn’t have to play outside in the 105-degree heat.
Recruited to play at FSU in 2008, Loucks was part of the first Seminoles team to reach the NCAA tournament in four consecutive seasons. By the time he graduated, FSU had won an ACC title. He also met his wife, Stevi, who swam freestyle, butterfly, and relay for the university. Despite what he’d accomplished in those four years, his eye was on playing in the big leagues.
Photo courtesy of Florida State University
“Every kid who plays at this level would tell you that they have professional aspirations,” Loucks says. “And I was no different. I wanted to play professional basketball, and those doors opened for me in Latvia, Cyprus, Belgium, and Germany. I also played a little bit in the minor leagues for the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic. My wife came with me, we traveled the world, and we saw incredible places and met incredible people. My father was a coach at a lower level, so I knew that when I decided to stop playing basketball for a living, I would want to do that, too.”
Loucks recognizes the great coaches who nurtured his talent. Leonard Hamilton, of course, was one of them. Loucks says Hamilton was always someone he could turn to for sound advice. So, too, was Mike Brown, head coach of the Sacramento Kings. Brown (who has four NBA Championship rings) took Loucks under his wing and showed him how to prepare, develop players, and build relationships, among other things.
Developing young men on and off the court and building a team isn’t the same as it was when Loucks was a college player. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals have opened up the number of ways student athletes can be paid, and there is an ever-changing set of rules to follow as a result. There are also donors to meet. Loucks is “trying [his] hardest” to pick up golf, so he can spend time with those donors but says he hasn’t quite mastered it yet––his family and team are his priorities.
Photo courtesy of Florida State University
No day is the same, Loucks notes, and no moment is dull. Basketball aside, he says he hopes he and his family become part of the larger community by supporting other FSU sports teams, participating in other university events and activities, and giving back.
“This community has had such a big impact on my life and my wife’s life, and now it will have an impact on my kids’ lives, too,” he says. “So don’t be afraid to come up to me and say hello. I love meeting new people. And my wife and I are excited about giving back to this community that has given us so much.”
