Copyright Tallahassee Democrat
It was a homecoming affair between two former Florida State basketball alums, Charlie Ward and Luke Loucks, at the Donald L. Tucker Center. While Ward was honored before the tipoff with his retired jersey, he entered the Civic Center coaching Florida A&M basketball. However, the Tallahassee showdown belonged to Loucks' FSU team, as it dominated the Rattlers 88-54. In the crowd of 5,527 people in attendance, repping either the garnet and gold or the orange and green, each got the chance to see a sneak preview of the 2025 season, which will take place in the first week of November. With both coaches entering their coaching debuts, here are the takeaways from Sunday's game. How Charlie Ward, Luke Loucks look on the sideline Even though this was Ward's night, the officials didn't give the FSU legend any slack as he captured his first tech as a head coach. At first, it seemed that Ward had his Rattlers play competitively against Loucks' fast-paced team. It was at some point in the first half that the Rattlers cut it close to one point following a three-point basket made by Jaquan Sanders. "I tell our guys all the time, you know, regardless of what the outcome is, we and I tell people all the time, we're going to show up and compete. That's just our thought process," Ward said. "That has to be our makeup and will be our makeup. We have 12, 13 guys that are on the roster, and we're going to have at least five that are going to compete at some point in time to give us a chance." As for Loucks, this is his first home game as a head coach for his alma mater. The Seminoles fans at the Civic Center got the chance to get a closer look at the new group of Seminoles in a fast-tempo, NBA-style scheme. After going on a 23-2 run, FSU showed its dominance once it captured its 20-point lead at 45-25 at the half. We made some shots we probably shouldn't have made. Our ball movement was just okay. It can get better, and I thought our pace was just okay. We can get better, but overall, I told the guys in the locker room, a win is something that you should always celebrate to some extent. The most encouraging part is that we can get a lot better. More: Charlie Ward to have FSU basketball number retired before Seminoles exhibition vs. FAMU FSU basketball puts its athleticism on display There was no question that FSU had the better talent than the Rattlers, but it was also a reminder that 12 of the 14 players on the roster are playing together for the first time. Mistakes when the Seminoles were running freely with the mixture of turnovers, being shooting happy from behind the arc, and only making nine out of the 31 attempts. "We've got to make shots at a higher clip, but the right plays lead to great shots, and if you consistently shoot great shots. Those shots will go in at a higher percentage," Loucks said. "Part of that is obviously, we got to get in better shape. The speed of the game is hard to replicate in practice, but they're getting the hang of it. Our goal is to shoot 33 threes a night. I think it would be number one in power for basketball from last year's stats. Tonight we shot 32 against Alabama, we shot 43. So anywhere in that 33-plus range." To their credit, FSU has played aggressively, especially when getting to the rim. Despite shooting 31 percent from the field, the Seminoles were nearly at 50 percent overall. Four players finished in double-digits, and each shot at least 50 percent. Leading the pack was Robert McCray V, a Jacksonville transfer, and LaJae Jones, a St. Bonaventure transfer, who finished with 15 points. McCray was 6 for 6 at the free-throw line. True Freshman Cam Miles showed promise as he dropped 11 points for the Seminoles, and so did Chauncey Washington, who came from Clemson, who also finished with 11. It is still uncertain what the rotation could look like before their season opener, but Loucks may have an idea of who he feels will receive significant minutes on the floor. More: FSU basketball has a new coach and new culture. And now it has a new leader in Kobe MaGee Tyler Shirley stands out for FAMU. Will need another dependable scorer A bright spot for the Rattlers went to its forward, Tyler Shirley. The 6-foot-8 senior dropped 25 points and was 11 for 21 from the field. He also collected seven rebounds and three steals. Due to a long-term injury, Shirley played only four games last season after transferring from Clayton State. He was the lone Rattler to finish in double figures. He will likely be the guy to lean on to score this season. "He is a worker," Ward said. "Tonight wasn't a fluke, regardless of who we're playing. He's going to be that type of player. The next thing is we got to get somebody to join him, which was in the last game we played, we had multiple guys joining it, but like I said, I was encouraged by our team tonight. " While Shirley was the efficient scorer, Ward is hoping to find another reliable scorer to complement Shirley. FSMU shot 21 of 69 from the field (30 percent) and made only five 3s the whole game. "Ty was a standout," Ward said. "He made a lot of difficult shots, but the crazy part about it was that we missed a lot of open shots, whether it was around the basket or wide-open three-point shots, and that was a big difference for us." More: FSU basketball schedule: Houston, third Final Four team, added for 2025-26 season
