Just 18 months ago, Luke Loucks arrived and hurriedly built a roster. When it came to the big men, he inherited a young center in Alier Maluk, brought in Mass center Shahid Muhammad and added a Division II transfer from Florida Southern in Alex Steen. The team's biggest addition was Clemson transfer forward Chauncey Wiggins, who was more of a stretch-4 than a post defender.
Not an ideal scenario for Loucks, who didn't have the money to compete with hoops blue bloods to bring in big men that could rebound and alter shots. Maluk started three games but that amounted to an average of 6.6 minutes, while Muhammad logged 6.9 minutes in 14 games while sitting on the bench for the other 19 games.
Loucks went out and fundraised ahead of year 2, knowing he needed a front court plan for the 2026-27 season that officially begins on Monday against Florida A&M in Tampa at 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU). The Seminoles acquired forwards with a variety of skills in Sebastian Rancik, Cooper Schwieger and Shon Abaev to go with Alex Steen, who picked up a hard-fought victory in the court room to play a fifth season of college basketball.
"It's a good problem to have," Loucks said. "I would way rather again have honest conversations with guys of hey, you might not play as much as you want to. I think all minutes are earned through your production."
With no disrespect to Maluk and Muhammad, Loucks and the coaching staff had more money and hammered the upgrade button throughout the April transfer portal window. They famously flew to Slovakia to meet Rancik's mom, landed Schwieger from Wake and brought in Abaev from Cincinnati.
But Loucks made the biggest addition back in 2025 as he recruited 7-foot, 285-pound center Marcis Ponder, who signed with FSU last November. The Seminoles also have some taller freshmen in Collin Paul, who is 6-8 and recovering from a knee injury.
Loucks and the staff now have a fun task: Who starts and how big of a rotation should they use? Loucks knows injuries will be be a battle, which in large part answers why they have accumulated so many big men.
"All starting lineups are earned through your impact on winning," Loucks said. "... I'm a big believer early on in giving the rotation a little bit more depth. We'll probably play 10 to start the season, and then by ACC play, maybe we get to nine or eight. I'm probably not going to do what Coach Hamilton did and played 11 or 12. I like to stick at 10 or under just to work in a flow of the game, and not yo-yo guys in and out."
FSU used nine players before last-minute substitutions in the 82-71 win over Auburn. With Steen back in the mix, FSU then used 10 players in the 89-87 victory over LSU.
Minutes will be competitive. But the big men also take on different roles. Abaev has often been a point forward, and he had five assists (with one turnover) in the win over LSU. Rancik is a stretch-4 who can drive. Schwieger has come off the bench and made an impact as a rebounder. Ponder had an astounding 21 rebounds in 25 minutes against Auburn, and then five points with seven boards against LSU.
The theory is that none will have to log heavy minutes, absent of course injuries or foul trouble. Players can expend a high amount of energy concentrated across those minutes, too. Loucks knows the big men will be thinking about minutes. Whether they say anything to him is another story.
"There will be guys that probably, whether they admit it or not, are not happy with their minutes," Loucks said. "And I like that. I like the competition it creates and the hunger. But when you're in practice. You're beating the guy in front of you, and that to me, that healthy competition, I'll take any day."
Closer look: FSU men's basketball in 2026-27
Coach: Luke Loucks (18-15 as he begins year 2 at FSU)
Assistant coaches: Jim Moran is associate head coach and Michael Fly is general manager / assistant coach. Gerald Gillion, Derwin Kitchen, Kyle Washington and Justin Lindner are also assistant coaches.
2025-26 record: 18-15.
About the schedule: FSU is set to play five of the Associated Press preseason top 10 teams: No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Duke, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 9 Virginia and No. 10 Houston. The Seminoles will play No. 11 Louisville (home and away) as well as No. 14 Miami (home and away).
Best home games: Florida on Nov. 10 at 6 p.m., North Carolina on Jan. 13, Clemson on Feb. 13, Louisville on Feb. 21, Miami on March 6.
Best road games: Tennessee on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m., Texas A&M at Houston at 3 p.m., Houston at Jacksonville on Dec. 20, at Clemson on Jan. 23, at Miami on Feb. 6, at Duke on Feb. 16, at Virginia on Feb. 27
Around the state: Catch FSU in Tampa against FAMU on Nov. 2, in Pensacola against West Florida on Nov. 29 and at Miami on Feb. 6.
Returning players: Alex Steen (won fifth-year appeal), AJ Swinton (suspended), Jalen Crawford.
Transfers: Shon Abaev (Cincinnati), Anthony Robinson II (Missouri), Kam Taylor (UNC Asheville), Sebastian Rancik (Colorado), Cooper Schwieger (Wake Forest), Amare Robinson (Tallahassee State College), Elisee Assui (Italy)
Freshmen: Marcis Ponder, Brandon Bass Jr., Martay Barnes, Collin Paul, JD Jones, Jasen Lopez (with football team).
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