Florida State is now under one month until the exhibition opener, with the Seminoles traveling to Pensacola to face Mississippi State on Oct. 10. The Seminoles will also play Auburn at Birmingham and host LSU.
On Friday, we observed a practice of about 90 minutes. This practice didn’t include traditional 5-on-5 play. It was a day with stretching, warmups, small-group work with the assistant coaches and was then focused on shooting from 3-point range as well as practicing coming off screens and shooting. It was competitive but there wasn’t a defense in use. This still gave us a good look at the Seminoles. Here are some takeaways:
- This should be a better shooting team than Luke Loucks’ first season (2025-26 stats). FSU shot 44 percent from the floor and 33.1 percent from 3-point range. Loucks and the staff now have a roster full of players who have been productive at the Division I level and freshmen who to varying degrees should be able to contribute.
- We got our first, albeit limited, look at 7-foot, 285-pound freshman Marcis Ponder. Loucks had previously said Ponder had a shoulder injury from high school and a mutual decision was made to have a procedure over the summer to allow him to play in the 2026-27 season. Ponder worked out on the side with assistant coach Justin Lindner and managers, working on a variety of post moves from different spots in the lane and along the baseline. It’s not clear when Ponder will be ready to do 5-on-5 work or be cleared to play.
- We also got our first look at Elisee Assui, who is a 6-foot-5, 219-pound guard. The term guard is not appropriate. He looks like a bigger running back or a tight end. Assui doesn’t have the long and lean look of a basketball player but more of a thicker football player. We didn’t get a great feel for his all-court game, but Assui is also a good shooter. Our image of European basketball, and specifically Italian hoops, is more of a finesse game. It’s fun to imagine what a physical player like Assui did overseas. He will be 21 in January, too.
- Here’s an example of some of the small group work: Sebastian Rancik (Colorado transfer) and Kam Taylor (UNC Asheville) worked on dribble drives with assistant coach Derwin Kitchen and a team manager. Rancik and Taylor would drive on Kitchen (who’s 6-4) and the coach would try to defend. Kitchen had a large defensive blocking pad while the manager had a blocking guard, forcing the driver to put the ball up at the basket over the manager holding the vertical stick. This is a basic, fundamental drill but you could see Rancik’s ball-handling - at 6-11 - driving and shooting. Taylor’s shooting was also on display.
- Brandon Bass again didn’t look like a freshman. Not predicting minutes or production but it’s clear Bass is ready to contribute and will be in the rotation. We also got a good look at another freshman, JD Jones, who has a good frame and is well built at 6-5, 205.
- AJ Swinton was working out on the side as he rehabilitates following knee surgery in March. He was not wearing a brace on the knee. We chatted with Swinton briefly. He has a positive attitude and spent time working with a team manager using resistance bands, running on the treadmill and riding the stationary bike.
- Alex Steen practiced with the Seminoles again on Friday as he awaits clarity on a fifth season of college basketball (Steen previously played at Florida Southern and then FSU in 2025-26). He lost his case in Leon County court on Friday but is appealing. (Who knows how long the case will take before it’s resolved?) Steen has always been a high-energy player and he also showed off a more consistent jumper. We wouldn’t expect him to be taking a bunch of 3s this season (he was 0 for 1 from deep last season) but it looks like he’s made an effort to improve.
- Steen isn’t technically a member of FSU’s 15-man roster. We didn’t get a good look at every player on Friday but will catch more practices in September and October before the exhibition. Jasen Lopez was not at practice as he’s focusing on football during the season.
- Loucks and assistant coach / general manager Michael Fly were out recruiting. Assistant head coach Jim Moran as well as assistant coaches Derwin Kitchen and Justin Lindner ran practice. A new hire, Sam Logwood, also helped. Logwood is FSU’s new director of video and scouting. Logwood was a video coordinator with the Sacramento Kings when Loucks was an assistant coach.
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