Jon Scheyer responds to Jai Lucas to Miami report: 'The job he's done for us has been incredible'

There were a number of reports surfacing on Saturday night tying Duke basketball assistant Jai Lucas to the Miami head coach opening. Shortly after the Blue Devils obliterated Illinois to the tune of a historic 110-67 win, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer addressed those reports.

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.

"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…

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 23, 2025

“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,” Scheyer began.

“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 I can tell you, 100%, Jai is an amazing coach. He’s been great for these guys. We’ll continue to move forward together and figure all that out. But he’s terrific, man. All across the board, he’s great,” Scheyer finished.

More on Miami targeting Duke assistant Jai Lucas

Duke assistant coach Jai Lucas is a “top candidate” for the Miami head coach job, The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reported. However, there is no deal in place between the two sides.

Reports swirled Saturday about whether Miami was set to hire Lucas to replace Jim Larranaga. However, On3’s CaneSport reported the program has not yet made a hire and is still going through the process.

During his coaching career, Lucas has become known as one of the top recruiters in the country. On3’s Jamie Shaw also listed him as one of 20 assistant coaches poised for head coaching opportunities.

A former point guard, Lucas also coaches the Duke backcourt and serves as the program’s defensive coordinator, helping build the Blue Devils into one of the nation’s top defensive teams this season. Duke is the fourth-most efficient defense in the country, according to KenPom.

Bill Courtney is serving as Miami’s interim head coach following Larrañaga’s resignation in December. The Hurricanes took a 6-20 overall record, including a 2-13 mark in ACC play, into Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech.

Lucas got into coaching at Texas under Rick Barnes following a professional career that began in Europe and ended in the NBA G-League. He played two years at Texas from 2009-11 after one season at Florida.

Lucas, 36, was an assistant at Texas until 2020 when he left to take a role on John Calipari’s staff at Kentucky as a special assistant and lead recruiter. He stayed there until Scheyer brought him aboard his new-look staff in 2022 after replacing Mike Krzyzewski. In 2023, Lucas moved up to associate head coach.

As a player, Lucas arrived at Florida as a highly touted recruit. He was a McDonald’s All-American as he made his way to Gainesville to play for Billy Donovan. He started all 36 games as a freshman, but only spent one year with the Gators before transferring to Texas.

With the Longhorns, Lucas made one start in his 58 appearances, averaging 2.9 points and 1.2 assists in his two seasons. He then began his professional career in Latvia with BK Valmiera from 2011-12 before returning stateside in the G-League with the Idaho Stampede. After stints with the Sioux Falls Courage and Canton Charge, Lucas joined Texas’ staff as a special assistant in 2013. In 2016, Shaka Smart named Lucas an assistant coach.

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.