Florida State’s coaching staff had first heard about Ta’Niya Latson when she was a middle schooler playing basketball in Hawaii. The early videos built a profile of what would eventually become well known in Tallahassee and across the ACC.

“We had seen video clips of her just as a very dynamic guard with great guard skills to penetrate to the basket,” FSU coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “She looked like a good defender on film and just an athletic, quick, great, scoring guard.”

Latson recalls those early years playing basketball, a sport she and family members loved and a constant in a life where the family that moved often.

“I was a military kid,” Latson said. “I started playing basketball in Missouri, kind of church league. And then we moved to Hawaii, and that's when I decided to start taking it serious. It was always something I was good at. My cousins played, and they went overseas, and I used to grow up watching them and wanted to do the same thing as them. I started at an early age. Basketball has just always stuck with me.

“That wasn't my initial plan. I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was a kid, but basketball was just something that always stuck with me throughout the years, and I just started to take it seriously because I realized I was pretty good at it.”

From those roots, working each day to improve and understanding she was a “pretty good” basketball player, Latson developed into one of the nation’s best prep prospects, the ACC freshman’s of the year (and national winner by the basketball writers) and now as a junior is in a discussion with Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo as the league’s best player.

Latson is also, with little argument, the best guard in FSU’s history. There have been athletic forwards like Shakayla Thomas and prolific post players like Natasha Howard and Makayla Timpson. The program’s career scoring leader, forward Sue Galkantas, produced 2,323 points from 1980-84 — with Latson quickly approaching that total.

But there has not been anyone quite like Latson, who is closing in on No. 2 in FSU history in points while also leading the way in career scoring average (22.6) and career free-throw percentage (84.4). Latson is also showing in year 3 that she’s a more efficient 3-point shooter (career-best 41 percent) while also delivering all four of her double-doubles in 2024-25 as well as a first career triple-double back in November.

"She's an All American," ESPN and ACC Network analyst Debbie Antonelli said. "She's a top 10 player in the country."

At 1,963 points, Latson is closing in on a milestone and would join Galkantas in FSU’s 2,000-point club. Galkantas had 2,323 points from 1980-84 in 120 games. Latson is set to play her 88th game at FSU on Thursday, when the No. 23 Seminoles (19-5, 9-3) host Louisville (17-7, 10-3) at 6 p.m. (ACC Network Extra).

Latson is within striking distance of 2,000 points, whether it comes against the Cardinals or in Miami on Sunday. But when she does, Latson would join some elite company of women’s basketball players who reached the 2,000-point mark in three seasons: Candace Parker, Maya Moore, Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Plum and Brittney Griner.

“We have had really talented guards like Nicki Ekhomu and Nausia Woolfolk,” Wyckoff said of recent All-ACC selections from FSU. “But a player like Ta’Niya. … There isn't a comparison in terms of the type of player she is at Florida State. Just how dynamic she is. The things she can do with the ball. The way that she scores from all three levels right now. I don’t think there’s a comparison.”

Before diving in on Latson’s impressive junior season, it’s critical to start with why she’s at FSU. Even during a coaching change, from Sue Semrau’s retirement and a transition to her top assistant in Wyckoff, the staff was persistent.

“They were just the most consistent,” Latson said. “Coach Sue, she was the coach that initially recruited me. Brooke recruited me, too. But they just were the most consistent. I went on the unofficial visit with Raven Johnson (who picked South Carolina) and Snoop Turnage (who also landed at FSU) my 10th grade year. And I didn't have an offer by them, but by the end of that visit they offered me.

“And it just felt like a place that I could build something at. And it just felt like home. I'm originally from Miami, so it's not too far from home. That was one of the deciding factors for me.”

Latson felt comfortable at FSU. But the coaching change also gave Wyckoff the chance to shape the coaching staff, bringing in Bill Ferrara and an offense predicated on a fast pace, quick decisions and taking high-percentage shots before the shot clock began to wear down.

It was perfect for Latson’s skill set.

“That was another deciding factor going into committing here, just the way that Coach Bill wanted to play, it aligned with how I played,” Latson said. “I'm just thankful to be in this position. I don't say they want to match my (skills) but they have what I need and how I play, and I get a lot of shots.

“And I'm just thankful to be in this position, because not a lot of girls are fortunate like me to have a coaching staff that actually believes in us as a team and not just as players but off the court, too. They make sure that we're good.”

Latson flourished from the start. The ACC’s freshman of the year and an All-ACC pick. A first-team All-ACC selection as a sophomore. This season, Latson set about to improve her assist totals, shoot better from beyond the arc and improve on defense. Suffice it to say, she has accomplished all three.

For a player known as a scorer, she’s been unselfish, too. Through 24 games, Latson has 109 assists (4.7 per game) and is ahead of pace to surpass the 137 she had in 33 games (4.2 per game) in 2023-24.

“Her natural instinct when she has the ball in her hands is as good as I've ever seen, being able to navigate bodies in front of her,” Wyckoff said. “Movement. Understanding where her teammates are. That has become refined over the course of these three years where she is able to play at such a high speed and make better and better decisions.”

Her 3-point shooting percentage is up considerably. Latson made 36.2 percent of her shots from deep as a freshman before slipping to 27 percent as a sophomore. Latson has made 41 percent this season, with 32 made 3s (including 5 of 5 in a win over Miami).

What's impressive is Latson has developed into a better driver to the rim, able to dribble effectively with her right and left hands, while also making 3s at a high rate.

"She was a hard right-handed driver, and no one could stop her from doing that," Antonelli said. "And even though you schemed and scouted to try to force her left, she still could get to that right hand and she was a menace downhill. Then she added the ability to, particularly this year, make the 3s and finish more going left. I think she's become a more complete player."

Defense? Latson has shown the energy on that end of the court and her 52 steals is already a career high.

She also has five double-doubles and produced a triple-double against Gonzaga in November.

“It's funny, because she's always achieved so much since the beginning of her career, pretty much from the time she came on the scene at Florida State,” Wyckoff said. “But this year especially has been so cool to see her achieving new things that she has never done, such as the double-doubles, the triple-double. Her 3-point shooting percentage. Those things that in her third year are new for her, is a sign of her growth, and I really think it comes from her growth just as a basketball player, as a college basketball player, and as a person.

“And just her maturity level, she’s seeing the game in a way that she has never seen it. As you would expect for a third-year player that’s seen everything. Now she knows how to handle it better than she ever has.”

Latson’s name also is up and down the top-10 single-game standout lists from performances this season. Consider:

Her 40 points at Virginia Tech on Jan. 2 tied a program record, while her 18 made field-goal attempts in that game is a school record. Latson also dropped 39 against SMU and 38 at Tennessee. She has scored 20 or more points in 21 of FSU’s 24 games.

“She's always been capable of scoring a lot of points,” Wyckoff said. “This is the first year that she's done it as consistently as ever.”

Latson made 15 of 15 free-throw attempts vs. Florida A&M, also matching a school record. Her career-best 12 assists at Virginia earlier this month is tied for third on FSU’s all-time list.

Wyckoff and FSU’s staff have challenged Latson to take parts of her game and refine them. But so does Latson.

“Just setting those goals,” Latson said. “Coach Brooke brings in the team psychiatrist. She helps me with my goal setting and just not getting bored and remembering what I have to achieve has been really crucial for me this season. Just my 3-point shooting. I know that was an area that I've always wanted to improve in, just watching film and pushing myself and being confident and trusting my abilities has also been crucial for me this year. Just setting those goals has kept me engaged throughout the season.

“And so far, so good. I'm just blessed for that.”

Going into the final weeks of the regular season, Latson and Notre Dame’s Hidalgo are the clear-cut favorites for ACC player of the year. Latson averages 26 points, while Hidalgo averages 25.9. Hidalgo has better averages in rebounds (5.6 to 4.6) and steals (4.0 to 2.3) while Latson has more assists (4.7 to 3.9).

"Hannah's on a little bit of a better team," Antonelli said. "So I think if you factor team in, that's going to have a factor in some voters’ minds. But when you look at their numbers, it is splitting hairs. … There's going to be a great conversation around it. And I think you can't talk about one without talking about the other right now."

Wyckoff, of course, is biased. But she also appreciates Latson’s all-around improvement and consistency.

“She's making a great case for being voted that — and we got a long way to go,” Wyckoff said. “She needs to be seriously considered for that honor.”

FSU is quickly approaching win No. 20 with six regular-season games to go. The excitement surrounding college basketball builds this time of year as every team tries to cement its position for the postseason.

While the Seminoles missed out on a chance to upset No. 14 NC State at home on Sunday, they picked up a quad 1 win at No. 13 North Carolina on Jan. 26 in a dramatic finish. Latson took the inbounds pass, faked out two UNC defenders and drove to the basket between two more defenders and secured the 86-84 win.

It was a “wow” moment for Latson. And the result was critical to FSU’s resume.

But barring an impressive finish and some unlikely losses from teams ahead of the Seminoles, they will be on the road for the NCAA Tournament. ESPN’s Charlie Crème has projected FSU as a No. 7 seed and headed to a regional hosted by No. 2 seed LSU.

The Seminoles have had first-round exits in each of the last two seasons. Those are sore spots for Latson and Wyckoff, motivators perhaps not now with so much basketball in front of them but a driver of how much they want to find success in March.

“She and I, and all of us, are very much determined that it be part of her legacy,” Wyckoff said. “Obviously, we want to take this team as deep as it'll go in the NCAA Tournament and win as many games as we can. … What she's been able to achieve, how quickly she's done, how quickly she's met scoring records with just the accolades that she's achieving, I think she's cemented her legacy regardless. But I would love to include a deep, deep tournament run as well. Or multiple of those.”

As Wyckoff and the coaching staff were preparing for year 3, it was important to develop younger players and build depth around the core of Latson, Timpson and O’Mariah Gordon. Sydney Bowles, a Texas A&M transfer, is averaging 10.3 points and 3.0 rebounds (with a team-best 53 3-pointers). Sophomore Carla Viegas is averaging 6.5 points, with all of them coming on 3s as she has drilled 50 shots from beyond the arc.

“We have a lot of shooters this year,” Latson said. “Sydney Bowles, we got Malea Williams coming in as a four (post). Carla Viegas, with her shooting ability, and Amaya Bonner has grown a lot from last year. I feel like a lot of people are just taking it serious. I knew that during preseason, everybody wanted it, everybody wanted to buy into the system. And I think it's shown so far this season.”

While FSU likely won’t be playing at home in March, there is a feeling that the core of Latson, Timpson and Gordon as well as the surrounding depth could make the Seminoles a dangerous team in the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

With Latson at the point of a frenetic offense, making split-second decisions on the fly, anything is possible.

“We're the captains of the team,” Latson said of Timpson and Gordon. “We hold ourselves to a standard, and we also have to hold our other teammates to a standard. And I think we've done a good job so far this season with just the balance of it all. And we're learning too. This is O’s first time in a leadership role for this team. She's learning a lot, and I'm learning a lot. KK (Timpson) is learning a lot so, and it's just preparing us for the next level. Not just for Florida State, but for our future endeavors, overseas and WNBA and stuff like that.

“I feel like the core that we have is very strong, and a lot of people are going to respect that come March.”

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