Thomas Bassong said he never thought about leaving Florida State. So it only made sense that Bassong was quick to announce he would be returning for his sophomore season.

And now Bassong can focus on the months ahead and the development plan coach Luke Loucks and FSU’s staff have built for the 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward.

“I need to develop my shooting abilities,” Bassong said on Friday. “I have a lot of work on the offensive side. On the defensive side I’m pretty good.”

Bassong earned a starting role at midseason and was a significant contributor in those 17 games. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds, but Bassong showed he’s capable of being considerably more productive. Bassong matched his season bests in points (14) and rebounds (12) in a road win over Georgia Tech on Feb. 28.

He also had 14 points in FSU’s lopsided Jan. 10 defeat to NC State, which in part was a wake-up call for the Seminoles and the coaching staff but also likely earned Bassong a starting role and increased minutes.

That time on the court is what helped him take the step forward in his development. Bassong played 20 or more minutes in 15 of FSU’s final 17 games.

“The thing that made me improve the most was the playing time,” Bassong said. “The more I play and the more I get used to playing with the guys at such a high level, everything slowed down a bit.”

Bassong said he’s looking forward to helping FSU’s coaching staff as they build the 2026-27 team through the portal. He’s also familiar with a few of the incoming signees from the AAU circuit.