Luke Loucks talks injuries, staff moves and Alex Steen eligibility saga after FSU’s basketball first practice

Florida State Seminoles head coach Luke Loucks met with reporters after his team's first full-squad practice to discuss the state of his roster. Sebastian Rankic is fully healthy after tendonitis issues over the summer, while Marcis Ponder suffered a minor shoulder strain but is expected to recover quickly. Colin Paul and AJ Swinton are both recovering from ACL injuries, with AJ making good progress and Colin making modest progress before attempting full 5-on-5 play.

Shon Abaev had X-rays on his wrist, which came back negative, and he is expected to return within a couple of days to two weeks.

Several staff members joined FSU's basketball program this offseason. Chris Kent now coaches the Austin Spurs, Perin Foot moved to an assistant coach position at North Alabama, Jabril Durham joined FIU's staff, and Ryan Shnider took an assistant role at Eckerd College. Loucks promoted Kyle Washington and Justin Lindner to full-time assistant coaches, expressing confidence in their potential to become head coaches.

The biggest topic at the press conference was Alex Steen's eligibility status. Loucks expressed frustration with the inconsistency in the eligibility process, noting that other teams with similar situations have already approved Steen or received his roster spot and revenue share. Loucks emphasized that Steen is not taking anyone's roster spot or revenue share, as all rev share had already been distributed before the new five-for-five eligibility rule went into effect.

Steen has taken the initial denial of his appeal, and Loucks expects the appeal to be filed sometime that week.

Loucks praised the team's chemistry, pointing to a positive moment during the first practice where two players who had a fist fight later hugged and laughed. He highlighted the leaders in the freshman class, Martay Barnes, Brandon Bass Jr., and Elisee Assui, who can contribute right away despite not being perfect. Anthony Robinson II, a senior point guard, echoed Loucks' message about team buy-in and chemistry, expressing his excitement about being part of the team and his role as a leader.