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Miami men’s basketball has found its next head coach, and did so by poaching one of its conference foe’s coaching staffs.
On Thursday, the Hurricanes officially announced the hiring of Duke associate head coach Jai Lucas to be their next head coach. It was first reported on Wednesday by several outlets, including CBS Sports and ESPN, that Lucas agreed to a deal with Miami.
The 36-year-old Lucas becomes the youngest head coach at the Power Four level of the sport.
Lucas will take over in Coral Gables for Jim Larrañaga, who stunned the men’s college basketball world in December when he retired due to college athletics continuing to shift to a more “professional” daily operation.
A former player at Florida and Texas, Lucas joined Jon Scheyer’s staff in Durham in 2022 as an assistant coach and was elevated to associate head coach last season. Per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Lucas’ deal with Miami is five years.
“I am incredibly grateful and honored to be the next head coach at the University of Miami,” Lucas said in a statement. “Miami has everything you need to compete at the highest level — elite academics, a passionate fan base, and a commitment to excellence in athletics. Beyond that, the city of Miami has a rich culture and energy that makes this an incredibly special place. The history, diversity, and passion for sports here are second to none.
“I look forward to building on an incredible foundation and leading this program into an exciting new era. My family and I can’t wait to get to Coral Gables and get to work.”
Over the past three seasons at Duke, Lucas further established his reputation as one of the top recruiters in the country, as he was a key recruiter in the Blue Devils receiving commitments from national player of the year candidate Cooper Flagg and incoming top-25 prospects Cameron and Cayden Boozer.
Lucas has been part of building seven top-10 recruiting classes in his 12 seasons as an assistant coach, which also includes stops at Texas and Kentucky on top of Duke, per Miami. He has also helped coach and develop 13 all-conference players in the Big 12, SEC and ACC, as well as 11 NBA draft picks.
Shortly after the official news dropped on Thursday, Duke and Scheyer released a video on the program’s X account (formerly Twitter) congratulating his assistant on his new job.
“I just want to say congratulations to Jai Lucas for becoming the next head coach at Miami. He’s been an incredible addition to our staff the last few years. I’ve been excited to have him on this journey from the beginning with me,” Scheyer said in the video. “Not only is he a great coach, he’s a great teacher and an even better person.
“…He’s going to do a great job there. … Couldn’t be happier for him with taking the next step in his professional career.”
Lucas, who will be introduced formally at a news conference on Monday per Miami’s news release, will not be with Duke for the ACC Tournament and March Madness, per CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.
At Miami, Lucas will be now tasked with rebuilding a Hurricanes program that has struggled the last two seasons after making its first Final Four appearance in 2023.
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