Legendary FSU basketball coach Leonard Hamilton will coach his final game in Tallahassee this weekend when the Noles host the SMU Mustangs. Hamilton is one win away from his No. 200 ACC win.
He announced he would step down a few weeks ago, which allowed FSU to celebrate his legacy while also getting a head start on hiring a new coach.
One of the first names to emerge was former FSU player Luke Loucks, who played for Hamilton from 2008 to 2012.
Loucks played overseas professionally for a short stint before beginning his coaching career in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors.
He has been with the Sacramento Kings since 2022 and looks to be the leading candidate to replace Hamilton, according to ESPN's Andrea Adelson:
Source: Sacramento Kings assistant and Florida State alum Luke Loucks has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Leonard Hamilton as Seminoles head coach. Story coming
— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) March 7, 2025
Loucks visited Tallahassee during the NBA All-Star Weekend and attended an FSU game with FSU Athletic Director Michael Alford. Some other names have floated around with interest in the job, including former FSU great Sam Cassell.
However, Cassell indicated that FSU had not contacted him about the job a few weeks ago.
This was shortly after Loucks was seen in Tallahassee with Alford, which led me to believe he was the top candidate.
FSU will look to move swiftly once Hamilton coaches his final game, which will likely be in the ACC Tournament once the regular season concludes. There's lots to navigate, including retaining some current players on the roster and attracting more talent.
If Loucks is the guy, he'll be in uncharted territory since he's never coached in college. He'll have to learn the world of NIL quickly and gain support from Seminole Boosters for FSU to become competitive in the ACC. It's something Leonard Hamilton achieved at FSU, but that was before NIL changed that landscape.
I'm not sure FSU basketball will ever compete for national titles. However, they must be competitive to earn money from the new uneven revenue distribution model, a by-product of the FSU settled lawsuit with the ACC.