Report: Duke assistant Jai Lucas 'top candidate' for Miami head coach job, but no deal in place

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.

Duke is preparing to head to Miami for an ACC matchup next week. However, Goodman said he’d be surprised if anything came to fruition by then.

Duke assistant coach Jai Lucas is a top candidate for the vacant Miami job, a source told @TheFieldOf68.

However, nothing is done as of now.

Duke also plays at Miami on Tuesday, so even if something heads that way with Miami and Lucas, I do not expect it to be done prior to…

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 23, 2025

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.

More on Jai Lucas’ coaching career

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.