Miami basketball fans will be watching closely when Duke travels to face the Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Blue Devils associate head coach Jai Lucas is reportedly expected to be the Hurricanes’ next head coach, pending completion of contract negotiations, the Associated Press reported Saturday. According to ESPN, Lucas hasn’t formally agreed to a contract with Miami.
However, ESPN added Lucas is Miami’s focus of its vacancy and the coaching search is expected to close near the end of the regular season.
The 36-year-old coach is viewed as one of the top up-and-coming assistants in college basketball, having led Duke’s recruiting efforts since being hired by Jon Scheyer in 2022. A former McDonald’s All-American as a player, Lucas played at Florida and Texas in college.
“Jai and I, look, he’s one of my best friends in the world,” Scheyer told reporters Monday. “Me and him are always gonna be great, me and him are always gonna be able to navigate this. He’s a terrific coach, terrific person, but there’s more that’s involved than just Jai and I. You think about the Miami staff and the job they’re trying to do right now, the Miami players. Obviously, our players and what we’re trying to do.
“So, our thing is to really block it out and stay in the moment until anything becomes final, if and when that happens. But it’s not ideal. It’s not ideal, by any means.”
Here’s everything to know of Lucas as Miami takes on Duke:
Why Miami Basketball is looking at Jai Lucas?
Lucas is the associate head coach at Duke, where he has been an assistant since 2022, the year Scheyer took over from legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. Lucas was the first non-Duke player hired as an assistant coach at the school in 30 years.
Lucas previously served as an assistant at Texas, where he played, from 2016-20. He also was an assistant at Kentucky from 2020-22. Lucas also currently serves as the defensive coordinator at Duke, as he leads a Blue Devils defense that ranks No. 4 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency this season, per KenPom.
Jai Lucas family
The 5-foot-10 former McDonald’s All-American in 2007 comes from a basketball family, as his father, John Lucas II, was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1976 NBA Draft and was the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers after his 14-year NBA career.
Lucas’ older brother, John Lucas III, played college basketball at Baylor and Oklahoma State before playing eight seasons in the NBA and numerous others in the D-League and internationally. Lucas III is currently a player development coach for the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces after serving stints as an NBA assistant with the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jai Lucas recruiting
Lucas has connections to JL3, one of the nation’s top grassroots organizations which is led by his family. In fact, Duke five-star forward signee Shelton Henderson played for JL3 in the 2024 Nike EYBL circuit.
Lucas served as the primary recruiter for 10 players at Kentucky and Duke, according to 247Sports. Each was a five-star player, including Cooper Flagg and NBA players Shaedon Sharpe and Cason Wallace.
Lucas also was listed as the primary recruiter for five-star Boozer twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer, the sons of former Duke standout and NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer. Should Lucas end up with the Hurricanes’ head coaching job, it will be worth watching whether the Boozer twins would change their commitments, especially they both attend Columbus High School in Miami.
Lucas played his freshman season at Florida in 2007-08 before transferring to Texas, sitting out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA transfer rules at the time. He played for the Longhorns from 2009-11 before going undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Players listed in order of recruiting ranking.
Here’s the full list of players Lucas has served as the primary recruiter of in his career, according to 247Sports:
-
Duke forward Cooper Flagg (No. 1 nationally)
-
Duke forward signee Cameron Boozer (No. 2 nationally)
-
Kentucky guard Shaedon Sharpe (No. 3 nationally)
-
Duke forward Khaman Maluach (No. 6 nationally)
-
Kentucky guard Cason Wallace (No. 10 nationally)
-
Duke guard Kon Knueppel (No. 19 nationally)
-
Kentucky guard TyTy Washington (No. 15 nationally)
-
Kentucky forward Daimion Collins (No. 16 nationally)
-
Duke forward signee Shelton Henderson (No. 21 nationally)
-
Duke guard signee Cayden Boozer (No. 22 nationally)
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Who is Jai Lucas? Miami reportedly targeting top Duke assistant
