The impact of a year of experience and fundraising for Luke Loucks is evident throughout the signing class he’s brought in for his second season.
A productive high-major transfer like Colorado transfer Sebastian Rancik, a former high-four-star prospect out of high school like Cincinnati transfer Shon Abaev or a top-15 high-school recruiting class loaded with potential immediate contributors weren’t options for Loucks and his staff a season ago when they were just getting their bearings in Tallahassee.
Neither was a player like UNC Asheville transfer Kameron Taylor. Taylor flew under the radar as a high-school prospect, unranked by 247Sports as he landed at UNC Asheville.
But he exploded onto the scene in his second collegiate season, leading the Big South Conference, leading the conference in scoring (18.9 points per game) last season while being named to the all-Big South first team.
The proof of concept the Seminoles put on display to close out Loucks’ debut season could very well have convinced a breakout player like Taylor to take a chance on them and eventually helped them land his commitment.
With that, FSU has upgraded its scoring ability with a proven mid-major player who Loucks believes could stand out in program history in one notable area.
“Talking to (a UNC Asheville assistant coach), it confirmed what we saw on film, just his explosiveness. Kam might measure out as the most athletic guy that we’ve ever had in Florida State history,” Loucks said last month when discussing his transfer class. “He has an almost 46-inch vertical. But what we really liked is his ability to use his athleticism. He can get in the paint, he has great balance, he can finish through contact.
“We think he’s a better shooter than his numbers indicate, similar to Rob McCray at Jacksonville, his efficiency was a little down because of what he was asked to do. We feel like in our system, similar to Rob, his efficiency is going to get better. We’re really excited about about Kam’s potential.”
McCray was the proven scorer of last year’s FSU portal class, averaging over 16 points per game in each of his two prior seasons at Jacksonville.
That carried over to FSU, where he averaged a team-high 16.3 points per game. His overall shooting percentage and 3-point percentage each jumped about three points up even while he transitioned to playing in the ACC. He went from shooting 42.8% from the floor and 32.6% from outside the arc to 45.8% and 35.5% from the perimeter.
The vision would be Taylor, whose 3-point percentage rose from 24.2% to 28.2% from freshman season to sophomore but with his overall shooting percentage falling from 50.5% to 45.3% from Year 1 to Year 2, making a similar leap in efficiency.
Taylor had to serve as UNC Asheville’s primary point guard last season due to injuries, which could explain why his shooting percentage fell. That versatility at 6-foot-7 was valuable to Loucks when he was recruiting Taylor, but with Missouri transfer Anthony Robinson II transferring to serve as FSU’s starting point guard, that should free Taylor up to return to a role better suited to his skill-set, which could unleash him.
“Kam is a tremendous athlete who is still just scratching the surface of his potential,” Loucks said in the press release which announced Taylor’s signing. “We believe his best basketball is ahead of him. What really separates him is his ability to create; he can make plays for himself and for others, and he has a natural feel for the game with the ball in his hands. His combination of elite athleticism and playmaking gives him a chance to impact the game in a big way, and we’re excited to help him continue developing in our system.”
