Florida State University Athletics
Friday, November 7
Tallahassee, Fla.
7:00 PM
Florida State
vs
Alabama State
Robert McCray V And The Florida State Significance of the #17
11/6/2025 11:16:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE – It's the uniform number Charlie Ward made famous in winning a national championship in football and the Heisman Trophy in 1993. It's the school-record for consecutive wins by baseball pitcher Mike Loynd in 1986. It's the school record for strikeouts in a game by softball pitcher Tiffany McDonald in 2008. It's the number of ACC Championships for the soccer team – 11 ACC Tournament championships and 6 regular season championships.
And now it's the school record for assists in a single game by a men's basketball player.
#17.
Robert McCray V and his teammates return to the court at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Friday to face Alabama State at 7:00 p.m. just three days after the senior point guard bested a Seminole record that had stood for more than 50 years.
Tickets are available for Friday's game at Seminoles.com. Tickets for Florida State students are free -- they can be claimed here. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra and can be heard on the Seminole Radio Network with Jack Kavovit and Adrian Crawford.
Friday's game will be celebrated as the annual Hoops for Troops game. Veterans and active military can contact the ticket office to access discounted tickets.
McCray scored 12 points to go along with his 17 assists as he accounted for 45 points during the Seminoles' victory over Alcorn State (25 first half points; eight by himself and 17 on credited assists, and 20 second half points; four by himself and 16 on credited assists).
McCray's 17 assists are the most by an ACC player since North Carolina's Raymond Felton had 18 against George Mason on December 7, 2003.
Following his record-breaking performance, McCray was quick to praise his teammates.
"Just a shoutout to my teammates," said McCray. "They put in the work and they made the shots."
McCray began his career at Wake Forest and spent the last two seasons as a star at Jacksonville University where he scored 1,107 points and averaged 17.3 points per game as a Dolphin. During his two seasons and 64 games played on the First Coast of Florida, he averaged just 1.9 assists per game.
"At my previous schools, everybody knew me as a scorer," said McCray V, who had never been credited with double-figure assists at any level during his basketball career. "I've been a point guard since I was little so it just comes naturally."
The performance by the Seminoles' point guard drew praise from his head coach and one Florida State's all-time assists leaders, Luke Loucks.
Loucks, a veteran NBA coach who is ranked 10th in Florida State history with 391 career assists, speaks from a place of experience.
"To me, that was a statement game for Rob to show that he wants to play in the NBA someday," said Loucks during his postgame press conference. "If he wants to play in the NBA, he's going to have to learn the point guard position. That was one of the more impressive point guard showings that I've seen in years. I don't care what level."
As McCray's assist total began to build during the Seminoles' victory over the Braves, the current Seminole was chasing not only the school record, but Loucks' record, also.
Loucks totaled 13 assists in Florida State's 85-82 win over North Carolina in the 2012 ACC Tournament championship game. His 13 assists against the Tar Heels is tied as the second-highest assists total in a single game in the history of the ACC Tournament and is still the ACC Tournament record for a championship game.
McCray tied Loucks' mark of 13 assists on a driving layup by Lajae Jones to put the Seminoles up 88-64 with 9:26 remaining in the game. Assist number 14 came on a layup by senior Alex Steen while assist number 15 came basket by freshman Thomas Bassong.
McCray tied the school record on another basket by Jones which increased the Seminoles' lead to 103-72.
Former FSU great Otto Petty had established the Seminoles' all-time mark with 16 against South Alabama in 1972, and Tony William matched it against Jacksonville in 1983.
With less than one minute to play in a game the Seminoles had led by double digits since early in the middle of the first half, there were still memories to be made with Jalen Crawford checked into the game with 45 seconds left to play.
Crawford walked onto the court and whispered into McCray's ear that he was on the verge of setting a school record.
"While the other team was shooting a free throw, he (Jalen) came and told me."
From the scene of a movie, or the court at the Donald L. Tucker Center, it was evident where the ball was going on the Seminoles' next offensive trip down the court.
Crawford answered the call with his first career basket and a record for McCray.
"When I saw it leave his hands, I knew it was going in."
Maybe even more incredible than his assists total against Alcorn State was the fact that McCray's 17 assists came while committing just two turnovers in 29 minutes of play.
"That's a statement that, 'I can play this position. I can play at the highest level,'" said Loucks."
And now it's the school record for assists in a single game by a men's basketball player.
#17.
Robert McCray V and his teammates return to the court at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Friday to face Alabama State at 7:00 p.m. just three days after the senior point guard bested a Seminole record that had stood for more than 50 years.
Tickets are available for Friday's game at Seminoles.com. Tickets for Florida State students are free -- they can be claimed here. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra and can be heard on the Seminole Radio Network with Jack Kavovit and Adrian Crawford.
Friday's game will be celebrated as the annual Hoops for Troops game. Veterans and active military can contact the ticket office to access discounted tickets.
McCray scored 12 points to go along with his 17 assists as he accounted for 45 points during the Seminoles' victory over Alcorn State (25 first half points; eight by himself and 17 on credited assists, and 20 second half points; four by himself and 16 on credited assists).
McCray's 17 assists are the most by an ACC player since North Carolina's Raymond Felton had 18 against George Mason on December 7, 2003.
Following his record-breaking performance, McCray was quick to praise his teammates.
"Just a shoutout to my teammates," said McCray. "They put in the work and they made the shots."
McCray began his career at Wake Forest and spent the last two seasons as a star at Jacksonville University where he scored 1,107 points and averaged 17.3 points per game as a Dolphin. During his two seasons and 64 games played on the First Coast of Florida, he averaged just 1.9 assists per game.
"At my previous schools, everybody knew me as a scorer," said McCray V, who had never been credited with double-figure assists at any level during his basketball career. "I've been a point guard since I was little so it just comes naturally."
The performance by the Seminoles' point guard drew praise from his head coach and one Florida State's all-time assists leaders, Luke Loucks.
Loucks, a veteran NBA coach who is ranked 10th in Florida State history with 391 career assists, speaks from a place of experience.
"To me, that was a statement game for Rob to show that he wants to play in the NBA someday," said Loucks during his postgame press conference. "If he wants to play in the NBA, he's going to have to learn the point guard position. That was one of the more impressive point guard showings that I've seen in years. I don't care what level."
As McCray's assist total began to build during the Seminoles' victory over the Braves, the current Seminole was chasing not only the school record, but Loucks' record, also.
Loucks totaled 13 assists in Florida State's 85-82 win over North Carolina in the 2012 ACC Tournament championship game. His 13 assists against the Tar Heels is tied as the second-highest assists total in a single game in the history of the ACC Tournament and is still the ACC Tournament record for a championship game.
McCray tied Loucks' mark of 13 assists on a driving layup by Lajae Jones to put the Seminoles up 88-64 with 9:26 remaining in the game. Assist number 14 came on a layup by senior Alex Steen while assist number 15 came basket by freshman Thomas Bassong.
McCray tied the school record on another basket by Jones which increased the Seminoles' lead to 103-72.
Former FSU great Otto Petty had established the Seminoles' all-time mark with 16 against South Alabama in 1972, and Tony William matched it against Jacksonville in 1983.
With less than one minute to play in a game the Seminoles had led by double digits since early in the middle of the first half, there were still memories to be made with Jalen Crawford checked into the game with 45 seconds left to play.
Crawford walked onto the court and whispered into McCray's ear that he was on the verge of setting a school record.
"While the other team was shooting a free throw, he (Jalen) came and told me."
From the scene of a movie, or the court at the Donald L. Tucker Center, it was evident where the ball was going on the Seminoles' next offensive trip down the court.
Crawford answered the call with his first career basket and a record for McCray.
"When I saw it leave his hands, I knew it was going in."
Maybe even more incredible than his assists total against Alcorn State was the fact that McCray's 17 assists came while committing just two turnovers in 29 minutes of play.
"That's a statement that, 'I can play this position. I can play at the highest level,'" said Loucks."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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