Duke’s Jai Lucas agrees to take over at Miami, contract still pending, AP source says
Duke assistant coach Jai Lucas, left, and head coach Jon Scheyer work during the first half of a first-round college basketball game against Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament, March 16, 2023, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas has agreed to become the next head coach at Miami, pending the completion of contract negotiations, a person with knowledge of the matter said Saturday night.
Lucas and the Hurricanes will work toward finalizing that contract in the coming weeks, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side has confirmed any details publicly.
Part of those negotiations would include when Lucas would leave the Blue Devils and start with the Hurricanes, whose regular season ends March 8. The postseason — even an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament berth — is unlikely for Miami, which fell to 2-14 in the ACC and 6-21 overall with a loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday night.
Duke, meanwhile, is an NCAA Tournament lock and potential national championship contender led by player of the year candidate Cooper Flagg. That means the Blue Devils could play until early April; the transfer portal opens on March 24, and it’s likely that Miami would want a new coach in place by then to begin the process of rebuilding a roster.
In a bit of ironic timing, Duke plays at Miami on Tuesday night — though it’s not believed that Lucas and the Hurricanes will complete contract negotiations by then. At Miami, Lucas would take over for Jim Larrañaga, who stepped down suddenly in December and was replaced on an interim basis by longtime Miami associate head coach Bill Courtney.
Duke beat Illinois at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night 110-67. After that game, Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer — who did not indicate that he knew of any agreement between Lucas and Miami — said that Lucas is “absolutely” a head coach and that’s why he brought him to Duke.
“I can tell you, 100%, 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. He’s terrific, man. All across the board, he’s great.”
The Hurricanes went to the Final Four two seasons ago and started last season with 11 wins in their first 13 games. But since early January 2024, Miami has gone 10-36 — the worst record of any Division I power conference school in that span — and 6-29 against ACC opponents.
Duke is ranked No. 3 this week in the AP Top 25. The website CanesInsight first reported an agreement between the Hurricanes and Lucas.
The 36-year-old Lucas — the son of former NBA coach John Lucas — has been on Scheyer’s staff at Duke for the past three years, the most recent two of those as the associate head coach.
Lucas is considered a top recruiter and was primarily responsible for Duke winning the race to sign twin brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer last fall. The Boozer twins, the sons of former Duke star and NBA player Carlos Boozer, live in Miami — and were a top target of the Hurricanes as well.
Lucas also is Duke’s defensive coordinator, the Blue Devils said. He worked at Kentucky for two seasons as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, joining the Wildcats after seven years at Texas — his alma mater — where he started as a special assistant, then director of basketball operations and eventually became an assistant coach.
Lucas started his college playing career at Florida, starting 36 games for the Gators in the 2007-08 season, before transferring to Texas. He played professional basketball briefly, including a stint with the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce — the Miami Heat’s affiliate in the developmental league.
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