Luke Loucks is returning to Florida State as the Seminoles’ new men’s basketball head coach, 15 years after his playing career ended in Tallahassee.
Loucks, 34, has been an assistant in the NBA for the past 11 seasons, the last five with the Sacramento Kings. He was on the staff for the Golden State Warriors‘ back-to-back NBA championship teams in 2017 and 2018.
He will succeed Leonard Hamilton, who announced in February that he would step down following the 2024-25 season. The Seminoles finished 17-14 overall and 8-12 in the ACC, the fourth consecutive season during which the team finished .500 or below in conference play.
The hiring was officially announced by Florida State on Sunday afternoon. Loucks will be introduced in Tallahassee on Monday.
“Luke’s exceptional coaching ability, profound leadership skills, and extensive basketball knowledge make him the perfect fit to lead our program,” school president Richard McCullough said in a statement.
“As a former Seminole, he understands the values and traditions that define FSU basketball,” he added. “I am confident that under his guidance, Florida State will continue to achieve great success and uphold the proud legacy of Seminole basketball.”
Loucks played four seasons at Florida State for Hamilton from 2008-12. The Seminoles qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of those seasons, the first time in school history that the men’s basketball team had earned four consecutive NCAA berths. When Loucks finished his career in Tallahassee, he was the school’s all-time leader in games played at 136. (He’s now tied for fourth.)