Duke head coach Jon Scheyer responded to reports that assistant coach Jai Lucas will be hired by the Miami Hurricanes after the Blue Devils 110-67 win over Illinois on Saturday night. Scheyer stated he just found out about the reports after the game and called Lucas terrific and that he is ready to be a head coach.
Reports began to emerge on Saturday about Miami hiring Lucas as the Hurricanes were preparing to play Virginia Tech. Lucas has been regarded as an assistant ready to be a head coach since 2022. With over 10 years working on college basketball staffs, Lucas has worked under Rick Barnes, Shaka Smart, John Calipari and Scheyer.
Lucas would be a risk for Miami without previous head coaching experience. Miami has not hired a head coach without previous experience since Frank Haith in 2004. Haith had a 129–101 record in seven seasons at Miami before leaving to become the head coach at Missouri.
Lucas is highly regarded as an elite recruiter. Some of the most elite players signed by Duke and Kentucky in recent classes were credited to Lucas as the primary recruiter. That includes projected 2025 top overall pick Cooper Flagg, plus Cameron Boozer and Cayden Boozer from Columbus High in Miami.
Jon Scheyer on Jai Lucas: "Absolutely he's a head coach, no question about it. It's part of why I hired him. The job he's done for us has been incredible.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 23, 2025
"Any report or anything that's out there, I'm just getting wind of it now. We'll cross that bridge and figure it out.
"But…
Miami had some elite classes under Jim Larranaga, but Lucas could potentially provide the Hurricanes with consistently highly-ranked classes. Consensus analysis is that Miami has the potential to be a program on the rise with the commitment to Name, Image and Likeness, the location and a recent history of success.
Miami is three years removed from an appearance in the Midwest Regional Final and two years from its only Final Four appearance in program history. Lucas would potentially face the task of rebuilding the entire roster and hiring a new staff. Only five Miami players have eligibility remaining beyond this season.
A.J. Staton-McCray is a redshirt junior, Paul Djobet is a sophomore and Miami has freshmen Jalil Bethea, Austin Swartz and Divine Ugochukwu who are all guards. Miami also has guard Matthew Able signed in the 2025 class. Expect a huge influx of transfers for the second consecutive season.