Duke’s Jai Lucas Set to Become Miami’s Head Coach, Contract Talks Underway
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Duke’s associate head coach Jai Lucas has agreed to become the next head coach for the Miami Hurricanes, pending the finalization of his contract, a source confirmed on Saturday night.
While an official announcement has not been made, both parties are working to complete the deal in the coming weeks, according to a source who spoke with The Associated Press anonymously. One of the main points to finalize is the timing of Lucas’ departure from Duke and his start date at Miami, as the Hurricanes’ regular season concludes on March 8.
Miami, struggling with a 2-14 record in ACC play and 6-21 overall, is unlikely to make the postseason after suffering another defeat to Virginia Tech on Saturday. Meanwhile, Duke, led by player of the year candidate Cooper Flagg, is a national title contender and could be in the mix for a deep run in April. With the transfer portal opening on March 24, Miami is eager to have its new coach in place by then to begin rebuilding the roster.
Adding some drama to the situation, Duke will face Miami on Tuesday night, but it’s unlikely that the contract between Lucas and the Hurricanes will be finalized before the game. Lucas will be taking over for Jim Larrañaga, who unexpectedly stepped down in December, with Bill Courtney serving as interim coach in the meantime.
After No. 3 Duke’s dominant 110-67 win over Illinois at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer praised Lucas’ coaching skills but did not confirm any agreement. “Jai’s an amazing coach,” Scheyer said. “He’s been great for these guys, and we’ll continue to move forward together and figure all of that out.”
Miami’s program has struggled in recent seasons. After reaching the Final Four two years ago and starting last season with an 11-2 record, the Hurricanes have since gone 10-36 overall and 6-29 in the ACC, the worst record among Power Conference programs in that span.
Duke is currently ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25, and the news of Lucas’ agreement was first reported by CanesInsight.
At 36 years old, Lucas is viewed as a rising coaching star, following in the footsteps of his father, former NBA coach John Lucas. He has been with Jon Scheyer’s staff at Duke for the past three seasons, serving as associate head coach for the last two. Known for his exceptional recruiting, Lucas played a key role in Duke landing twin brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer, top high school prospects and sons of former Duke and NBA star Carlos Boozer. The Boozer twins, who are Miami natives, were heavily recruited by the Hurricanes before committing to Duke last fall.
In addition to his recruiting success, Lucas serves as Duke’s defensive coordinator. Before his time at Duke, he spent two seasons at Kentucky as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach under John Calipari. He also spent seven years at Texas, his alma mater, where he worked his way up from special assistant to assistant coach.
As a player, Lucas started his college career at Florida, where he played 36 games during the 2007-08 season before transferring to Texas. He later had a brief professional career, including a stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s G League affiliate.
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