The No. 2 Duke Blue Devils are thriving as they head into their regular season finale on Saturday against their ACC rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
However, on Friday, the team received unfortunate news regarding their coaching staff, as associate head coach Jai Lucas was announced as the next head coach of the Miami Hurricanes.
It was also revealed that Lucas will be leaving Duke after the regular season finale, meaning the Blue Devils will lose a key staff member and their defensive coordinator just before postseason play begins next week.
Despite this, head coach Jon Scheyer and Duke sent their well wishes to Lucas for the outstanding work he did in Durham during his time with the program.
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Jai Lucas has played a pivotal role in helping lead the Blue Devils to one of the best defenses in the entire country this season. Duke ranks sixth in scoring defense and fourth in field goal percentage defense. Additionally, KenPom ranks them as the fourth-best defensive unit in college basketball, with a defensive efficiency rating of 89.6.
While the hire wasn’t a major surprise, Lucas has been an integral part of Duke’s success since joining the staff. Over his 12 seasons at Duke, Kentucky, and Texas, he has helped lead those programs to seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
He will now take over for Jim Larranaga, who spent 13 seasons at the helm of the Hurricanes and became the all-time winningest coach in the program’s history.
“I am incredibly grateful and honored to be the next head coach at the University of Miami,” Lucas said. “Miami has everything you need to compete at the highest level — elite academics, a passionate fan base, and a commitment to excellence in athletics.”
He added, “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.”
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