There haven't been many former players from Florida State to serve as head coaches in the NBA. Seminole legend Dave Cowens led the Boston Celtics, among other teams, during a coaching career that spanned from 1978-2009.
Current FSU coach Leonard Hamilton was the head coach of the Washington Wizards for one season before taking over in Tallahassee.
It's a small list but one that could grow in the next couple of years. Veteran coach Sam Cassell has been a top assistant for much of the last decade and was a candidate to become the next head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, there's another name to keep an eye on who has been swiftly rising up the coaching ranks over the past couple of years. Former Seminole Luke Loucks followed Mike Brown to Sacramento in 2022 as an assistant coach after working with him at Golden State. The move paid off as he's serving as the Kings' head coach during NBA Summer League Action over the next couple of weeks.
Sacramento has a leg up on some of the other franchises participating in the Las Vegas Summer League after getting an opportunity to play two games during the California Classic. The Kings finished the event 2-0 after taking down the Golden State Warriors (100-94) and Miami Heat (95-83).
This is simply the next step for Loucks, a rising name in NBA circles. Franchise star De'Aaron Fox has previously credited the former Seminole for his development and success this past season after he was named the league's Clutch Player of the Year.
"Credit to the staff, my teammates, and Luke Loucks," Fox wrote on Instagram in April.
It hasn't even been a decade since Loucks accepted an internship with the Golden State Warriors after a professional playing career where he bounced around the NBA G League (named the D League at the time) and Europe. He spent his first season with the franchise as a film and player development intern and was on staff when the Warriors won the 2017 NBA Championship.
Loucks was promoted to the team's two-way player development coach the following season. He continued to climb the ladder within the franchise as he took over as Golden State's player development coach from 2019-21. In total, he was a member of two championship teams while with the Warriors.
In 2020, he joined the Nigerian National Team as an assistant coach and player development coach. He served on staff during the Tokyo Olympics the following summer alongside head coach Mike Brown, who he is currently working for in Sacramento. Loucks worked for the Phoenix Suns in basketball strategy and personnel prior to joining Brown with the Kings.
The FSU legacy was a member of the program's first ACC Championship squad in 2012. He appeared in 136 career games, winning 95 of them, and made four consecutive NCAA Tournament runs during his time with the Seminoles. Loucks averaged 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.9 steals per game.
Interestingly enough, he's not the only former Seminole on Sacramento's staff. Deividas Dulkys is the Kings' assistant coach for player development. He played alongside Loucks in Tallahassee.
Sacramento's run gets started in Las Vegas with a game against the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 PM on Friday.
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