Former FSU guard, current NBA coach Luke Loucks enjoys return to Tallahassee
Of all the places he and his wife could go on their mini-vacation during the NBA All-Star break, Luke Loucks chose to come back to Florida State.
The former Seminole point guard and current assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings was at the Florida State-Duke game on Saturday afternoon at the Tucker Center, cheering on the Seminoles as they tried to pull off an upset of the No. 9 Blue Devils — something his team was able to accomplish a time or two during his stint as a player in Tallahassee.
“First and foremost to see the guys play,” Loucks said, when asked why he was back at his old stomping grounds. “Obviously, I always enjoy being back. They’re playing a huge game against Duke.”
The second part, he said, was that the Kings had played 15 of their last 19 games on the road. So, he had been gone from home. A lot. And when he asked his wife, Stevi, a former Florida State swimmer, what she wanted to do for the break, she preferred something very relaxed.
Just the two of them, away from their three young children.
“We haven’t been back to Tallahassee, just us two, without the kids, in so long,” Loucks said. “It just made a lot of sense to come back, plug in with the guys, see them practice, go to a few of our favorite restaurants in town and really get some alone time with my wife.”
Loucks, who played at Florida State from 2009 to 2012 and was the starting point guard on the 2012 ACC Championship team, has been in the NBA now since 2016. He worked for five years with the Golden State Warriors as a video coordinator and player development coach. He then worked for another year with the Phoenix Suns as a basketball strategy coach.
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Now, he is in his second year as a full-time assistant coach with the Kings, who are poised to make the playoffs for a second straight season.
“I’m super fortunate, blessed, whatever you want to call it, that (Sacramento head coach) Mike Brown and I hooked up,” Loucks said. “He’s been a mentor to me, both on and off the court. He’s really helped shape my life in a lot of ways. So, us developing that relationship in Golden State. And then he was the head coach of the Nigerian team in the Olympics, he brought me along as an assistant coach through that.
“Obviously, we really bonded through that experience. So, when he got the job in Sacramento, it made a lot of sense to go with him. He’s done a fantastic job helping me become the coach that I am. Obviously, still a long way to go, but hopefully, eventually someday a head coach.”
Loucks, who hails from Clearwater, was a pivotal player during one of the best runs in Florida State program history: Four NCAA Tournaments, a Sweet 16 appearance and an ACC title. He played professionally overseas for five years, but never hooked on with an NBA team as a player.
He instead has been making his mark on the coaching side. And while he’s been in the NBA now since 2016, Loucks says being a college head coach is something he would absolutely be interested in if the right opportunity came open.
“Yeah, I would never close that door before it opens,” he said. “I think I’m in a great spot with the Kings right now and Mike Brown. He’s done so much for me and my career that I’m really not looking forward or ahead beyond this year. But if that opportunity presented itself, for sure I would consider it.
“But at the current moment, the NBA is the pinnacle of our sport, and I’m in a great spot with a good organization and a good team. But again, I wouldn’t say no if that opportunity ever came up.”
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