IPL 2026: Phil Salt returns home mid-season for scans, RCB face anxious wait
Phil Salt returns to the UK for scans on a finger injury, leaving RCB anxious about his IPL 2026 availability.
Thomas Bassong's departure highlights the shifting landscape of college athletics, while Luke Loucks' response showcases the evolving culture at Florida State. The coach prioritized retaining Bassong after his promising freshman season.
Mentioned in this story
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 28: Florida State head coach Luke Loucks reacts during the college basketball game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on February 28th, 2026 at Hank McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Thomas Bassong was a retention priority for Florida State basketball coach Luke Loucks coming off his first season.
The breakout freshman inserted himself in the lineup in non-conference play and established himself as one of the Seminolesā best on-ball defenders.
He wasnāt a huge scoring threat (5.9 points per game) but flashed his potential with three ACC games where he tallied double-digit points.
This was likely going to be a big offseason of development before a potential 2026-27 season breakout.
Loucks seemed to identify that, telling local media members that Bassongās contract was the first his staff extended this offseason. Bassong agreed to it, even talking in a media availability with local reporters after it was announced he was returning.
But on the last day of the transfer portal window, the buzz that Bassong was entering the portal gradually grew until the reports were confirmed.
He wound up at Mississippi State in what seems to be a ending place for the saga where neither team wanted this to finish.
āIām not going to go into all the details. We wantedĀ Thomas back. He wanted to be back. HeĀ had the first contract we put out in this cycle,ā Loucks said this week. āThey had it for almost a month, over three weeks, and there was a lot of red lines, a lot of back-and-forth, two years, one year, multiple iterations of the contract. Eventually, I had to put a deadline on it, because Iāve got to build a team and financially, obviously, Thomas, you know, thereās a market, and his agent did his job the best he felt like he was doing.
Thomas Bassong's departure reflects the changing dynamics in college athletics, although specific reasons for his exit are not detailed.
Luke Loucks' response to Bassong's departure is seen as a defining moment that illustrates the new culture he is establishing at Florida State.
During his freshman season, Thomas Bassong averaged 5.9 points per game and demonstrated his defensive skills, particularly in three ACC games where he scored in double digits.
Player departures like Bassong's can signify broader trends in college athletics, including increased mobility and changing team dynamics.
Phil Salt returns to the UK for scans on a finger injury, leaving RCB anxious about his IPL 2026 availability.
Caitlin Clark's humility shines as she declines WNBA celebrations after Rookie of the Year win.
Braxton Ashcraft shines in Pirates' 1-0 win, completing sweep of Reds
Examining the hypocrisy in sports coverage surrounding Brendan Sorsby.
How to watch Everton vs. Man City live stream and TV details
Jannik Sinner defeats Zverev to win Madrid Open and set a record!
See every story in Sports ā including breaking news and analysis.
āI have no disrespect for anyone in the process. It was just unfortunate the way it played out, because Thomas wanted to be here, and I wanted him back, and everyoneĀ wanted him back, but thatās way it played out, and the deadline was the deadline, and we didnāt get the deal done.ā
Bassong didnāt really discredit any of what Loucks said in a since-deleted pair of posts he made on his X account.
āIāve never wanted to leave fsu. Fsu was home to me. I had my friends, my place to stay and all figured out. I donāt think Iāve ever liked a coaching (staff) like that before,ā Bassongās post said. āThere was a contract I had to sign that I couldnāt sign because my agent my family and I didnāt think it was fair for me. They offered me another contract and gave me a deadline to sign it. Iāve overpassed the deadline so they told me to (go) in the portal. It wasnāt my decision.ā
In the first time Loucks has had to handle a situation like this, he seemed to have handled it perfectly. Or, at the very least, completely opposite of how Mike Norvell has been criticized for how heās handled similar situations on the football side.
How many times has an FSU football player gone into the portal and come back with a likely larger chunk of FSUās roster budget? It probably canāt be counted on both of my hands.
Loucks did not play that. Even for a player who likely could have really helped his team this season.
āI told our staff, itās similar to having children and telling them their bedtime is at nine, and then you let them stay up till 9:15 and 9:30 and next thing you know, theyāll midnight every night. Itās just not the way to run a program,ā Loucks said. āSo to me, we had a deadline. It was very clear. Couldnāt get the deal on the deadline, and we had to collectively and separately, move our separate ways, which obviously stung for both sides. But again, Iām not going to not keep my word when we lay things out.ā
And Loucks didnāt just not engage in those games. He quickly moved onto Plan B, quickly flipping Elisee Assui from George Washington. The Italian prospect who has professional experience in Europe likely wonāt be the player Bassong could have become as a sophomore. But his tape shows he should at least be capable of filling the defensive void left by Bassongās departure.
Itās a credit to how Loucks managed this. And, one can hope, a message to agents going forward that he wonāt be engaging in those money games.
āI wish Thomas the best. Heās a great kid. He developed so great. He helped us win a lot of games this year. I think heās going to continue to develop. Weāre going to continue to follow him and cheer him on at Mississippi State. Weāre really excited to see him play in the SEC next year. But it was just one of those things. It was a little bit unfortunate the way it played out,ā Loucks said.
āBut again, weāre super excited with (Elisee Assui) coming in, that that defensive presence that Thomas brought. We feel like we have someone that can they can plug that in a little bit.ā