Duke affiliate head coach Jai Lucas has agreed to turn out to be the following head coach at Miami, pending the completion of contract negotiations, an individual with information of the matter stated Saturday night time.
Lucas and the Hurricanes will work towards finalizing that contract within the coming weeks, stated the one that spoke to The Related Press on situation of anonymity as a result of neither aspect has confirmed any particulars publicly.
A part of these negotiations would come with when Lucas would depart the Blue Devils and begin with the Hurricanes, whose common season ends March 8. The postseason — even an Atlantic Coast Convention event berth — is unlikely for Miami, which fell to 2-14 within the ACC and 6-21 total with a loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday night.
Duke, in the meantime, is an NCAA Event lock and potential nationwide championship contender, led by participant of the 12 months candidate Cooper Flagg. Which means the Blue Devils might play till early April; the switch portal opens on March 24, and it is doubtless that Miami would need a new coach in place by then to start the method of rebuilding a roster.
In a little bit of ironic timing, Duke performs at Miami on Tuesday night time — although it isn’t believed that Lucas and the Hurricanes will full contract negotiations by then. At Miami, Lucas would take over for Jim Larrañaga, who stepped down suddenly in December and was changed on an interim foundation by longtime Miami affiliate head coach Invoice Courtney.
The Hurricanes went to the Ultimate 4 two seasons in the past and began final season with 11 wins of their first 13 video games. However since early January 2024, Miami has gone 10-36 — the worst file of any Division I energy convention college in that span — and 6-29 in opposition to ACC opponents.
The 36-year-old Lucas — the son of former NBA coach John Lucas — has been on coach Jon Scheyer’s employees at Duke for the previous three years, the latest two of these because the affiliate head coach.
Lucas is taken into account a high recruiter and was primarily chargeable for Duke profitable the race to signal twin brothers Cameron and Cayden Boozer final fall. The Boozer twins, the sons of former Duke star and NBA participant Carlos Boozer, reside in Miami — and have been a high goal of the Hurricanes as effectively.
Lucas is also Duke’s defensive coordinator, the Blue Devils stated. He labored at Kentucky for 2 seasons as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach, becoming a member of the Wildcats after seven years at Texas — his alma mater — the place he began as a particular assistant, then director of basketball operations and finally grew to become an assistant coach.
Reporting by The Related Press.
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