By: Robert Craft

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

After being formally introduced as Florida State’s men’s basketball head coach, Luke Loucks expressed pride and appreciation as he stood before a packed auditorium at Moore Athletic Center this Monday.

“It’s good to be home,” Loucks said at the start of his press conference.

Luke Loucks, a self-described storyteller, spoke about being a ‘part’ of Florida State. He and his wife, Stevi, were both student-athletes who met at FSU.

Loucks spoke about flying back into Tallahassee late Sunday night with their three young children. While Stevi was tearing up over returning ‘home’, her husband-FSU’s new head basketball coach- was welcoming his three children into the FSU lifestyle and continuing the legacy from a full time student to a full time employee.

This family remained attached to FSU before this career decision, they would return during NBA All-Star breaks and sometimes in the summer during Louck’s NBA coaching career.  A permanent relocation marks a new chapter and  endeavor for him and his family.

Loucks is excited to be coaching his alma mater at 34 years old, and understands this dream doesn’t happen to everyone. He does not take this opportunity for granted.

In reflecting on the hiring process and a series of interviews, or conversations, with Director of Athletics Michael Alford and FSU President Richard McCullough, he concluded each meeting with a career defining question – ‘Why?’ .

Why did Luke Loucks want to depart from a rising career as an NBA assistant to return to the college ranks and coach at Florida State?

“No. 1, there’s an emotional connection to Florida State,” Loucks said. “This place holds so many special memories for me.”

He is one of multiple members of his family with ties to FSU. He recalled as a little kid a family gathering for FSU football’s 1993 national championship victory. A core memory for any Nole fan at that age.

As a young man and a player at FSU, he spoke of meeting his wife ’40 feet’ to the right of the podium where addressed a gathering of media, administration, and others with ties to FSU.

He obviously had a great deal of success on the court along with his teammates.

He spoke of the school’s most recent football national championship and the pride it brought him after having played his career there (2008-12).

After a handful of years playing professionally, and it taking him around the world, he entered into coaching.

His laundry list of basketball coaching influences includes plenty from -Steve Kerr, Mike Brown and Leonard Hamilton to name a few. It’s clear many of the influences trace back to his time as a Seminole. As a young coach, he leaned on those who guided him in that same role during his time at FSU. He brought up folks behind the scenes tied to FSU hoops instrumental in his basketball coaching journey.

Present day as a young parent, he said that he and his wife have spoken to their children about ‘how cool it is to be a part of the Florida State community’. This is while putting them to bed wearing FSU pajamas.

For the entirety of his 34 years, FSU has played a role in Loucks life. It is part of every bit of his being and every chapter of his story.

That all being said, the other portion of his ‘Why’ is because at his core, he is someone who loves a challenge and believes he can succeed in things he is passionate about.

“I’m pretty competitive. I can’t turn it off. I want to win. I want to win everywhere I go,” Loucks said, adding that the personality trait goes well beyond the basketball court.

“So career-wise I want to be around the best. The reality is Florida State in the athletic community is one of the best brands in the world. Again, I’ve seen what it feels like to win at Florida State and I want to be a part of that. I want to lead.”

The 34-year old first-time collegiate head coach didn’t shy away from the idea of success. As the press conference winded down after more than 50 minutes at the podium for Loucks, he was asked about his playing days and those FSU teams he was a part of exceeding expectations – blowing out North Carolina, winning at Duke, earning an ACC Championship, NCAA Tournament bids, etc. He is familiar with his new territory. He knows the gold standards in the ACC on the hardwood.

He knows the tough task of turning FSU into more than expected in basketball. He isn’t shying away from it, because he simply can’t. He isn’t wired that way. That isn’t who he is or what he is.

Luke Louchs is a Basketball junky. Let’s see how he fills the shoes that Coach Hamilton left him.