From player to coach, the transition is a natural one for many athletes once they conclude their playing careers.
After wrapping up his time at Florida State in 2023-24, former Seminole guard Max Thorpe jumped right into coaching. Last season, Thorpe was a graduate assistant at Alabama as the Crimson Tide advanced to the Elite Eight under sixth-year head coach Nate Oats.
Thorpe is quickly rising up the ranks early in his career. Earlier this month, Arkansas State announced it was hiring Thorpe as its next Director of Player Development.
In a release, Arkansas State head coach Ryan Pannone complimented Thorpe’s work ethic and detail-focused nature.
“Max Thorpe, our director of player development, comes to us after spending one year as a GA at Alabama, and previously was a player at Florida State University,” Pannone said. “Max has a great eye for detail, and an understanding and recognition of player development, along with player evaluation in terms of being able to scout high-end talent for us and how it fits our offensive system.
“His ability to project talent and fit within how we want to play is really important. He’s the only staff member coming from Alabama, and he has seen the growth of how we play offensively and defensively within that system,” Pannone continued. “He held a huge reputation at the University of Alabama with his commitment, his work ethic, of being a guy that gets stuff done. When we’re building out the staff, we’re constantly looking for people who get stuff done, and he’s one of those.”
Welcome to the Pack, Director of Player Development @MaxThorpe5!
🔗 https://t.co/EIYmqeeYxw#WolvesUp pic.twitter.com/WUJIEGAkuo
— Arkansas State Men’s Basketball (@AStateMB) May 1, 2025
Thorpe joined Florida State as a walk-on in 2020-21 and contributed in practice as the program appeared in the ACC Tournament Championship and made a run to the Sweet Sixteen.
In his four seasons with the Seminoles, Thorpe saw action in ten games, averaging 0.2 rebounds and 0.1 steals over 1.3 minutes per contest. He only took two shots and one free throw, missing all on his attempts.
Florida State has made it a priority to bring former players home after hiring Luke Loucks as head coach. Maybe one day, Thorpe will make his way back to Tallahassee to join the staff.
Luke Loucks – Head Coach
Jim Moran – Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator
Michael Fly – Assistant Coach
Gerald Gillion – Assistant Coach
Chris Kent – Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development
Justin Lindner – Assistant Director of Player Development
Perin Foote – Director of Basketball Operations
READ MORE: Ex-Florida State WR joining forces with Deion Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes
Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Basketball throughout the offseason
Follow NoleGameday on and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
