Since Luke Loucks’ introductory press conference back in March, we’ve heard quite a bit about the high-pace, NBA-style offense that he would be bringing to the Florida State men’s basketball program.
On Friday, we got our first glimpse of exactly what it will look like. Loucks and the Seminoles invited media members into the FSU basketball training center to get an up-close look at one of the team’s summer practice.
Suffice it to say, what Loucks advertised is exactly what we saw. Friday’s practice was a frenetic-paced, nearly-nonstop practice that showed the team’s progress in adapting to what Loucks wants to do on the court.
Loucks said after Friday’s practice that much of what FSU has worked on this summer has been on the offensive end of the court.
“We haven’t done a ton on defense, which (former FSU coach Leonard) Hamilton probably would not be happy with me,” Loucks said with a laugh. “But we’ve done enough defensively to give them a foundation to obviously go through in the fall and build off of.”
That offensive philosophy is speed, taking advantage of fast-break opportunities and spacing the floor with paint touches leading to perimeter touches and shots that are more uncontested.
Time off between drills and reps was very limited as Loucks clearly is still challenging his players’ stamina, with an understanding of the type of fitness it takes to run an uptempo offense like this from his time as an NBA coach.
He was constantly in the middle of the court, giving immediate feedback of things he liked, things he didn’t and challenging his players to keep pushing.
The list of things Loucks has had his staff track from all practices this summer includes shots, running, three-point attempts/makes/percentage, pace, assists, assist opportunities and who is getting defensive stops.
“We have a litany of things that we’re tracking to try to push our agenda,” Loucks said.
Even if Loucks was upfront as he rebuilt his roster about the pace and intensity he wanted to play with on the court, it’s still taken a bit of time for the players to get acclimated. Even for those who have played quite a bit of college basketball like Clemson transfer Chauncey Wiggins.
“The pace of play is the most surprising thing to me,” Wiggins said. “The way he wants to play just like the Warriors, fast, move the ball, get a three up, lead the league in threes, in points. That’s the most surprising thing. I love it.”
Sophomore center Alier Maluk, one of just two returning scholarship players from last year’s FSU team, added, “It’s definitely super tiring playing that fast, but it’s the pace we want to play at. It’s a pro-style pace so we definitely want to be able to play up to speed.”
As FSU’s eight-week summer program nears its end, it seems like Loucks is pleased with the progress his team has made. His rebuilt roster of seven transfers, two incoming freshmen and two returning rotation players has exceeded his expectations this summer in terms of ability and how well they have taken to the scheme and tempo he wants.
“Every coach in America is optimistic right now. None of us have lost a game,” Loucks said. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised with this group in terms of their connectivity, their competitive nature and their skill.”
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