Honestly, walking into the Donald L. Tucker Center this season feels a little like walking into the wrong house. You recognize the wallpaper, but all the furniture has changed. After twenty-three years of Leonard Hamilton patrolling the sidelines with his trademark "New Blood" philosophy and deep benches, the program hit the reset button. Hard.
Luke Loucks is the man in charge now. If that name sounds familiar, it should—he was the gritty point guard on the 2012 ACC Championship team. But coming back to Tallahassee as the head coach is a different beast entirely. He didn’t just inherit a rebuilding project; he basically inherited an empty gym.
When you look at the Florida State men's basketball roster for this 2025-26 season, the turnover is staggering. We are talking about a team that returned less than 10% of its scoring from the previous year. That’s not a "tweak." That is a demolition.
The Veterans Holding the Fort
Loucks knew he couldn't survive the ACC gauntlet with just freshmen, so he went portal-hunting for grown men. The backbone of this roster is a group of seniors who, quite frankly, have a lot to prove at this level.
Robert McCray V has emerged as the primary engine. Coming over from Jacksonville, he’s a 6-foot-4 guard who plays with a chip on his shoulder the size of a garage door. He’s currently leading the team in scoring and assists, basically being asked to play 35 minutes a night because the backcourt depth is so thin. He’s shifty, maybe a little too aggressive sometimes (the turnovers can get scary), but without him, this offense would be stuck in mud.
✨ Don't miss: When Was the MLS Founded? The Chaotic Truth About American Soccer's Rebirth
Then you've got Chauncey Wiggins. He’s a name ACC fans know from his time at Clemson. At 6-foot-10, he provides that length FSU fans are used to, but he’s more of a finesse player than the bruising bigs of the past. He’s a "stretch-four" in the truest sense, though his rebounding numbers need to tick up if the Noles want to stop getting bullied on the glass.
The Mid-Major Gamble
The rest of the veteran core is a fascinating experiment in "can mid-major stars translate to the ACC?"
- Kobe MaGee (Drexel): A 6-foot-5 guard who brings a much-needed shooting touch. He’s a veteran presence who doesn't get rattled, which is huge when you're playing at Cameron Indoor or the Smith Center.
- Lajae Jones (St. Bonaventure): This guy is a Swiss Army knife. He’s 6-foot-7, strong, and can guard multiple positions. He’s basically the glue holding the defensive rotations together right now.
- Alex Steen (Florida Southern): A high-motor forward who was a defensive player of the year at the DII level. He’s had to adjust to the speed of the Power 4, but his effort is undeniable.
The Youth Movement: High Ceiling, Low Floor
If the seniors are the floor, the freshmen and sophomores are the ceiling. This is where the "old FSU" recruiting DNA still shows up.
Thomas Bassong is the one everyone is whispering about. He’s a 6-foot-8 freshman from Paris, France, by way of Overtime Elite. He looks the part—long arms, fluid athlete, can handle the ball a bit. But like most freshmen in this league, he’s still learning that you can't just out-athlete people in the ACC.
🔗 Read more: Navy Notre Dame Football: Why This Rivalry Still Hits Different
Then there's Alier Maluk, the 6-foot-11 sophomore. He stayed through the coaching transition, which was a massive win for Loucks. He’s still incredibly thin—he looks like he might blow away in a stiff Tallahassee breeze—but his shot-blocking instincts are elite. He’s the closest thing this roster has to a traditional FSU rim protector.
Martin Somerville (UMass Lowell transfer) and Cam Miles (freshman from IMG Academy) round out the rotation. Somerville has been a pleasant surprise, proving he can score in bunches when McCray is on the bench.
The Reality Check
Look, the stats aren't pretty right now. As of mid-January 2026, the Noles are hovering around .500 and struggling to find a signature win in conference play. The defense, which used to be the "Junkyard Dog" identity of Florida State, is currently giving up way too many points.
Loucks is trying to run a faster, more modern NBA-style offense—think Golden State or Sacramento—but that requires elite decision-making. Right now, this roster is still learning how to talk to each other on the floor. They have moments where they look like a Top 25 team, and then they have five-minute stretches where they look like they've never met.
💡 You might also like: LeBron James Without Beard: Why the King Rarely Goes Clean Shaven Anymore
What’s Missing?
The biggest glaring hole? True, Big-Ten-style size. While FSU has height (Maluk is 6-11, Shah Muhammad is 6-11), they lack the 250-pound "space eaters" that Leonard Hamilton used to hoard. They're getting out-rebounded in almost every loss.
What to Watch For Next
If you're following the Florida State men's basketball roster for the rest of the season, don't just look at the box score. Watch the development of the "Euro-style" guards Loucks brought in, like Maximo Garcia-Plata. If he can start hitting shots consistently, it opens up the lane for McCray.
Practical Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the rotations: See if Alier Maluk starts getting more than 15 minutes a game. His development is the key to the 2027 season.
- Check the Transfer Portal: With the scholarship limit now at 15, expect Loucks to be active again in March. They desperately need a physical interior presence.
- Support NIL: In this era, keeping guys like Bassong from jumping to a "bigger" program requires the Florida State Factor to be firing on all cylinders.
This season isn't about winning a national title. It's about figuring out which of these 15 guys are actually ACC-caliber players. It's a bridge year, and while bridges can be shaky, they're the only way to get to the other side.