Charlie Ward is set to begin his tenure at Florida A&M with an exhibition against his alma mater, Florida State. Per a report by the Tallahassee Democrat, the two Tallahassee-based hoops programs will face off in an exhibition game on October 26th. The game will be the first between the two institutions since December 1991.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the game was paused in December 1991 when both teams got into a melee that led to players being ejected and Florida A&M ultimately having to forfeit the game due to not having enough players on their roster to compete.
Now the game holds more significance as Charlie Ward, who was a two-sport athlete for the Seminoles and a Heisman trophy winner, will lead the Rattlers against his alma mater. For both institutions, it will be the start of a new era.
As Ward begins his tenure as Florida A&M's coach heading into the matchup, the Seminoles will be led by a new head coach. In March, Florida State hired Luke Loucks as their new men's basketball coach. Loucks boasts significant experience in the NBA, including working with several standout stars, including Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and De'Aaron Fox.
He excelled in player development in his time in the league and served as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings and also worked on the staff of the Golden State Warriors during their dynasty run in 2017 and 2018, after Golden State successfully signed Kevin Durant in free agency in the summer of 2016.
Florida State basketball finished 17- 15 in the 2024-2025 season with an 8-12 record in conference play. Loucks will certainly look to change the tide for the program, as Ward looks to do the same for a Rattlers team that improved under former head coach Patrick Ewing but still found itself outside of SWAC Championship contention.
