Sacramento Kings assistant and Florida State alum Luke Loucks officially signed a five-year deal Sunday to become the new Seminoles (17-14, 8-12) head coach and will be officially introduced in Tallahassee on Monday.
The move follows the resignation of head coach Leonard Hamilton, who has been the head man for the Seminoles since the 2002-03 season. Florida State will miss the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year, barring a miracle run in the ACC Tournament.
Luke Loucks Says FSU Job ‘Meant to Be,” Praises Leonard Hamilton
Loucks, who played under Hamilton for four seasons from 2008-2012, told ESPN the move was “meant to be.”
Nine years ago, Loucks sat in Hamilton’s office when the coach asked him if he’d ever considered coaching, an inquiry which quickly sent him soaring through NBA ranks.
When Loucks arrived in Sacramento in 2022, then head coach Mike Brown told him he would become a head coach, it was “just a matter of when.”
“As a young guy, he’s experienced a lot in a short amount of time, which has really helped him grow quickly,” Brown told ESPN. “He’s really knowledgeable offensively, defensively, analytically. He thinks out of the box. He’s not afraid to take chances but the biggest thing is he’s a connector. When you’re able to connect well with people, I don’t care what job you’re doing, you’re going to be able to find a way to have success.”
Though he has no head coaching experience, Loucks is well-versed in FSU basketball. The former Seminole grew up in Clearwater, Florida, as an FSU fan, and his dad walked-on a Bobby Bowden led FSU football team.
Loucks described Hamilton as a “second father,” and the two spoke before he took the job.
“I’ve won at Florida State at a very high level, and I was fortunate to be a small part on some great teams, and I hope to bring that success that Coach Hamilton started,” Loucks said. “He’s laid an unbelievable foundation, but to go back home to where I played, and to go replace a man of great character, who has had such an impact in my life, you cannot write the story better.”
FSU athletic director Michael Alford told ESPN Loucks’ lack of head coaching experience and lack of college experience was discussed in the interview process, but he “thought for sure he was ready.”
“With my lack of experience, there are going to be question marks,” Loucks admitted. “But the reality is, I understand Florida State, I understand the dynamics. I understand what goes into winning at Florida State. I’ve not only seen it, but I’ve experienced it, and I’ve lived it.
“That gives me a head start. So, if you want someone to lead this team that gets it right, and who understands what type of people succeed here, what type of people won’t succeed here, and how to recruit, and how do we evaluate those people? To me, you’re not going to find a better person for the job.”
Who Is Luke Loucks? The NBA Assistant Offered Florida State’s Head Coach Job
Loucks, 34, attended Clearwater High School in Clearwater, Florida, and was captain of the varsity basketball team in his sophomore, junior, and senior years. By the end of his junior year, he drew national attention and signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Seminoles basketball team.
At Florida State, Loucks appeared in 136 games and started all 35 in his senior year, with an average of 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Loucks and the Seminoles made it to the NCAA tournament in all four seasons and won the ACC Tournament in his senior year.
He also earned an undergraduate degree in business management and a master’s in sports management.
Following his college career, Loucks bounced around Europe, playing in Latvia, Belgium, Germany, and the NBA Development League in 2014-15. After back surgery in Germany during the 2016 season, he hung up his sneakers and moved to coaching.
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Loucks started his coaching career as an intern for the Golden State Warriors, assisting with film and player development in 2016-17. He was part of the 2017 NBA championship-winning staff. The next year, Loucks became the Warriors’ two-way player development coach and, in 2019, was promoted to player development coach with the NBA squad.
Loucks also served as an assistant and player development coach for the Nigerian national team during the 2021 Olympics.
During the 2021-22 NBA season, Loucks moved to Arizona, where he worked in basketball strategy and personnel evaluation for the Phoenix Suns.
Loucks joined the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach in 2022 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2024. This season, the Kings are 19th in the NBA in points allowed per game.
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