4-star son of former Celtics, Lakers player includes Florida State in shortlist

With the commitment of Marcis Ponder and the attention on Brandon Bass Jr., Florida State's recruiting strategy could lead to a stronger team in the upcoming seasons, making them an intriguing option for punters considering future betting odds for NCAA tournaments.

Luke Loucks and the Florida State Seminoles are starting to heat up on the recruiting trail. They landed their first official recruit of the 2026 class when they got the commitment of physical freak Marcis Ponder, a 7-foot, 325-pound mammoth down low. Despite his size, he's an athletic specimen, and it was a great way to start the 2026 class.

Jasen Lopez is also committed, but he's a two-sport athlete, primarily a football recruit. The Seminoles have been placed on a number of top lists recently and are setting up for an impressive list of visitors for the last weekend of August, coincidentally, the FSU/Alabama football game. The basketball team has always liked using the football games as recruiting opportunities, as it helps give the recruits a perspective of campus life.

One of the visitors planning to be on campus for that game is top-100 recruit Brandon Bass Jr. out of Windermere Prep in Florida. Luke Loucks has talked about honing in on the recruitment in the state, wanting to lock down some of the top prospects in Florida, and Bass Jr. is the 16th-ranked prospect in the state.

Brandon Bass Jr., a 6'4" left-handed shooting guard, has cut his list of schools he's considering down to three: Florida State, LSU, and Purdue. He has already taken visits to Purdue and LSU, and according to 247sports, he's likely to take another visit to LSU. If you recognize the name, his father, Brandon Bass, was a 12-year NBA player, playing for the (then) New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers. Most of his time was spent with the Celtics, accounting for nearly half of his games played in the NBA.

Bass Sr. was a 6'8" power forward, one with a throwback post and mid-range game. It's safe to say his son is not the same type of player, but it's a talented family nonetheless. The elder Bass attended LSU and took Bass Jr. there a lot as a kid, so they may be tough to beat. However, one thing that will help is Bass Jr.'s high school coach at Windermere Prep: Brian Hoff. If you don't recognize the game, he was a former walk-on at Florida State from 2005 to 2010, crossing paths with Loucks in his final two seasons.

In Hoff's final appearance as a Seminole, he went out with a bang for a walk-on, scoring 10 points, adding 3 assists and 3 rebounds in a 61-57 win over Boston College.

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The Seminoles will have the son of a former NBA star on campus at the end of the month.

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